Lancia appoints Roberta Zerbi CEO for 2026 pivot: a cheaper gasoline Ypsilon and Gamma D-segment crossover on STLA Medium, with hybrids and Melfi production.
2025-12-28T11:08:19+03:00
2025-12-28T11:08:19+03:00
2025-12-28T11:08:19+03:00
For Lancia, 2026 is shaping up to be a turning point. The brand has rekindled international ambitions, yet sales still trail expectations, and Stellantis has approved a tougher action plan. A change at the top signals the reboot: Luca Napolitano is stepping down, and Roberta Zerbi has been appointed Lancia’s new CEO. Her early moves suggest the priority is shifting from showroom sheen to pragmatic volume.The top task is to lower the price barrier for the new Ypsilon. The current generation has been criticized for its high starting price and for being offered only with electrified powertrains. In 2026, a more accessible Ypsilon with a conventional gasoline engine, without a hybrid overlay, is expected. For Lancia, it’s a clear step back from a declared electric-only focus, but the logic is sound: other Stellantis brands, including Fiat, are making similar moves by bringing back ICE versions to support demand and reduce the cost of entry. It’s a pragmatic course correction likely to broaden the car’s appeal.The plan’s second pillar is the return of the Gamma name. The new Lancia Gamma is set to sit at the top of the range and reinforce the brand’s international outreach. It is being developed on Stellantis’s STLA Medium platform and will not be electric-only: hybrid variants are planned in parallel. In terms of format, the Gamma targets the D-segment with a crossover-inspired silhouette. Production is planned in Italy, at Stellantis’s Melfi plant, a positioning that should help the car carry the brand’s message with confidence.
Lancia appoints Roberta Zerbi CEO for 2026 pivot: a cheaper gasoline Ypsilon and Gamma D-segment crossover on STLA Medium, with hybrids and Melfi production.
Michael Powers, Editor
For Lancia, 2026 is shaping up to be a turning point. The brand has rekindled international ambitions, yet sales still trail expectations, and Stellantis has approved a tougher action plan. A change at the top signals the reboot: Luca Napolitano is stepping down, and Roberta Zerbi has been appointed Lancia’s new CEO. Her early moves suggest the priority is shifting from showroom sheen to pragmatic volume.
The top task is to lower the price barrier for the new Ypsilon. The current generation has been criticized for its high starting price and for being offered only with electrified powertrains. In 2026, a more accessible Ypsilon with a conventional gasoline engine, without a hybrid overlay, is expected. For Lancia, it’s a clear step back from a declared electric-only focus, but the logic is sound: other Stellantis brands, including Fiat, are making similar moves by bringing back ICE versions to support demand and reduce the cost of entry. It’s a pragmatic course correction likely to broaden the car’s appeal.
The plan’s second pillar is the return of the Gamma name. The new Lancia Gamma is set to sit at the top of the range and reinforce the brand’s international outreach. It is being developed on Stellantis’s STLA Medium platform and will not be electric-only: hybrid variants are planned in parallel. In terms of format, the Gamma targets the D-segment with a crossover-inspired silhouette. Production is planned in Italy, at Stellantis’s Melfi plant, a positioning that should help the car carry the brand’s message with confidence.
