The first photos of the new Lancia Gamma leak!

The scene seems surreal, and the Italian brand Lancia would probably have preferred to avoid it. Early this morning, a prototype vehicle was found partially submerged in Lake Viverone, between Milan and Turin, near a Stellantis Group factory. To the astonishment of those present, it was nothing less than the new Lancia Gamma, the automaker's future flagship model. A long-awaited launch which, as a result, takes on water.

It was around 7 a.m. on Tuesday when a local fisherman spotted the roof of a car protruding from the surface of Lake Viverone. Emergency services were immediately alerted. Firefighters and divers were called in to secure the submerged vehicle and hoist it out of the water. According to initial findings, there were no casualties. The vehicle was empty when the rescuers arrived, and no trace of the driver was found on the riverbank. The circumstances that led this secret prototype into Piedmont's waters remain a mystery.

A tow truck equipped with a crane then extracted the car from the waves in front of a handful of amazed onlookers. "There's no doubt in my mind that it's the Gamma," says a photographer at the scene. "I immediately recognized the logo and silhouette: it's Lancia's new SUV. In fact, several visual elements betray its identity.

Despite the mud and water, the elevated sedan clearly displays Lancia's characteristic cues. The vehicle's stern features a prominent Lancia logo. The taillights are linked by a black band on the tailgate, bearing the name LANCIA in full letters.

Everything points to the Lancia Gamma, announced by the automaker as its new flagship due in 2026. The 4.6 m-long SUV is based on Stellantis' STLA Medium modular platform, which it is expected to share with other premium models from the group. Another revealing detail: there are no visible tailpipes at the rear of the vehicle. This confirms that this is the 100 % electric version of the Gamma.

How such a secret vehicle ended up in a lake remains to be seen. Local authorities are not ruling out any possibility at this stage. The hypothesis of a robbery has been raised. Remember that in a previous incident at the end of 2023, a Lancia Ypsilon prototype was stolen and found in a canal in France in similar circumstances. In this case, the proximity of Lake Viverone to a Stellantis test site could lend credence to the theory of an accident during a confidential test, or a failed manoeuvre during night-time transport. Officially, Lancia and Stellantis have made no comment for the time being, simply letting the investigation take its course.