Okay, calm down. Behind this catchy title, don't expect a European feat. We're talking about a very specific market: Italy, the historic playground of Lancia, and the main country where the brand is still active.
For the moment, the new Lancia Ypsilon is only available in Italy, France, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands. The Audi A1, on the other hand, is widely available in Europe. In other words, the continental comparison doesn't hold water, and the A1 remains ahead overall.
But back to our local playground. In Italy, the new Ypsilon achieved a good result in March 2025, with 1,100 registrations, bringing the year-to-date total to 2,926 units. On the other hand, the Audi A1 did slightly less well, with 2,670 registrations over the same period. As for the Volkswagen Polo, it didn't even make it into the top 50 best-selling cars in Italy. This puts the little Italian car ahead of its German rivals, at least on home territory.
It has to be said that the new Ypsilon has little in common with its predecessor. As explained in our test of the new ypsilon hybridIt's pointless directly comparing sales figures between the two generations. The new model is bigger, more powerful and more technologically advanced. It now enters the arena of the Peugeot 208, Renault Clio, Toyota Yaris, Volkswagen Polo and Audi A1. And in this game, it's not doing so badly.
That said, if Ypsilon sales in Italy rise to 2,000 units a month, it's starting to look like a real success story. Even if this figure remains half that of the previous generation, it's important to remember that we're no longer talking about the same category of vehicle. The move upmarket is real, and Lancia seems intent on appealing to a different audience.
As for the competition, the Peugeot 208, although a close cousin, remains untouchable with 11,674 units sold in Italy since January, ahead of the Toyota Yaris (10,925) and the Renault Clio (6,994). But the fact that the Ypsilon is in the game is already a strong signal.
Outside Italy, on the other hand, the start-up is more complicated. In France, only 277 Ypsilons have been registered since the start of the year, and 171 in Spain. So the launch is still very timid, almost discreet. And the absence of the Lancia Ypsilon in Germany raises questions: it's hard to understand why such a market wasn't given priority.
The new Lancia Ypsilon is off to a good start... in Italy. It has (just) overtaken the Audi A1 and is ahead of the Polo, which is already a good sign. All that remains now is for it to confirm its rise to prominence, and above all to make a success of its international challenge, where the road ahead is still long.
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The new Lancia Ypsilon isn't even present in dealerships selling Fiat, Abarth, Alfa Romeo and Jeep? Why not integrate it into the ex-FCA network, which sells only Italian cars (excluding Jeeps). It wouldn't cost anything, apart from putting in a Lancia corner. Instead, my dealership has integrated DS, which is ridiculous.
Still, this is very good news.
Recently, I've been regularly coming across a "Cassina" version, here in Belgium (Liège region). It really is superb in motion!
When the Gamma comes out, I'm planning to visit a Casa Lancia to get a closer look!
This version betrays the history of the Ypsilon models, successors to the Y10 and Autobianchi, 3-door urban mini-city cars. Why not give it a separate name? As a former Lancia fan, I hope this model will find its clientele, despite its poorly calibrated price positioning. To be continued...
Yes, that's why in my review I say they could have called it the "big Ypsilon", because the old and new models are not comparable.