Analyst Day - presentation of Olivier Francois on the future of Lancia

[Edward]

See link for an interesting presentation of Olivier Francois on the future of Lancia:

http://www.fiatgroup.com/comuni/php/fil ... VVTHRTVUH8

[justin]

Hmmm.. nice, corporate-looking presentation, but they really need to inspire more than this!
Launch with something exciting, like the new Fulvia, alongside the inevitable "market share" projects.

[Randy Adams]

I spent the second half of October touring around Tuscany and a little bit of Lombardy and Emilia Romagna. I saw exactly two Thesis in all that time. I saw a fair number of Musa. Lots of Ypsilon of course. I saw many more Alfa models and, as always, they were much more attractive cars. Since Fiat Auto clearly is not inclined to apply any inspiration to Lancia I sincerely wish they would retire the name.

[alan]

hmmm but if you sit inside an alfa after a lancia you get a different view point the fittings and quality of the new lancias make alfas look like yugos in comparison

[Randy Adams]

Is that really true? Since Lancias aren't available in the U.S. any longer (and neither are Alfas for that matter) I have a 15 year old Alfa 164 which seems very well put together.

Are we talking about wood cappings and nice upholstery? Because if that's all the name "Lancia" means today then, please, retire it. What "Lancia" used to mean was discreet sedans (berlinas) and quietly beautiful coupes conscientiously designed and assembled that would out-handle and outlast just about everything else. Even the Beta managed the "quietly beautiful coupes" and out-handling bit. Fiat seem to have turned Lancia into the Italian version of the Oldsmobile. And the Oldsmobile is gone.

[alan]

the ypsilon is particularly nice inside very stylish in a subtle way in no way overdone and finished off both inside and out in a really nice way it's a bit special and stands out from all other small superminis. The musa is not the same story as it is just a bastardised fiat idea mini mpv so wasn't designed as a lancia from scratch and it shows. The thesis is just so beautiful, it looks outside like nothing else and inside it is finished with 'wood and nice upholstery' but it's done beautifully shame that no one knows what it is or chooses to buy it

[Niels Jonassen]

It looks as if some hard core lancisti do not want Lancia to enter the 21st century. No one can survive on cars built like Lancias used to be built, and it is nor reasonable to expect this. New Lancias are in many ways an modern rendering of some of Lancias core values, good quality (as good as it comes these days), a lot of presence plus excellent road holding. I am happy that Fiat has seen fit to reinvent Lancia.
Niels Jonassen

[Philip]

Lancias are definitely a cut above an Alfa when it comes to build quality;

in 1999 we went through another 'new beginning pahse, at that was ssupposed to be the Lybra). I have been driving a Lybra 2.0 station wagon from new, bought in June 2000; the quality is excellent; very minor issues and never let me down; the interior is better quality than contemporary 156's and would put a Jaguat X-type to shame and in terms of ambiance, all of your 3-series, C-Class Mercs or Audis.

The problem with Fiat Auto, was that they never positioned the car properly and its marketing was patchy. They were promiotingh Alfa as a sporting brnad and alienating Lancia customers by trying to force the brand to be (as Randy put it nicely, into an Italian Oldsmobile or to me more of a Buick...) a luxury barnd. The engines were the same as for a Fiat Stilo except that the Stilo could be bought with a 2.4 litre version which was not given to Lancia...I guess this might have allowed Lancia to have sporting pretentions, but no, we can't give them that! Mr. Demel, who was heading Fiat Auto at the time even wanted to kill the brand, hence no money was provided to develop the Lybra into anything exciting - only stylking cue makeovers were 'added' but mechanically nothing happened; in Europe, where diesels are hot, Alfas and Fiats got more powerful Diesel versions of the same engines than the Lybra got...we, the owners, begged for more powe, torque etc, but the 'evangelists' of luxury won the day - the Lybra died an ignominious death and we have to wait the new Delta to see what happens.

The Delta Integrale image which was still alive in 1999/2000 was buried as deep as possible; now Lancia are wondering how come the brand's recognistion in major markets like Germany is as low as 10%...even in the early 90's Lancia's brand recognition was not too hight but at least ALL enthusiasts knew about them - now even enthusiasts (and teens with posters on their bedroom walls) are more likely to have heard and aspire to a Skoda or SEAT or Mazda or Hyundai rather than 'geriatric' or 'ladies car (Musa/Y)' Lancias.

Here is Switzerland there is only one dealer who speciilises in the brand and he is based in Basel. This proves, that it is possible to sell the cars if there is passionate service behind it. However, more niche models are necessary and I agree with Justin. Waiting till 2009 for a 'specialty' offering is sad. Hopefully some concepts will keep the anticipation alive and help the 'hoi poloi' somewhat informed of the existence of Lancia. Launcing the brand in markets like Turkey or Russia, where Lancia was never ever (seriously) sold in the past will help volumes; reintroducing it to Scandinavia is also positive (there, the original Delta was co-developed with Saab and sold as the Saab 600...) and bringing it back to right hand drive markets like Japan and the UK is also refreshing, but I suspect Brits and the Japanese (like us on the Continent) will hunger for some sportiness if the brand is to appeal...Delta HF Integrale anyone?

sorry, I've been talking too much again, greetings from Geneva,
Philip

[justin]

Philip
Thank you for providing some relief from the despairing attitude coming over the Atlantic!
RA seems to have given up altogether on our favourite brand - maybe he's got involved elsewhere, or maybe got lost in the 'corporate' thing that everyone else seems so impressed with.
No offence, Randy, but where is the enthusiasm we should expect on a site like this??
No way will 'the powers that be' even begin to vere our way with your views on show - I'm sure they are well aware of this and other sites dedicated to Lancia.
All the best, anyway,
Jus

[Angle]

Good point Justin, but do you think anyone at Lancia HQ actually looks at this excellent resource for Consumer Research???

Go on Lancia Marketing, please prove me wrong and post a reply!!!