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Fiat brings raft of special-edition hatchbacks to Geneva

The annual Geneva Motor Show presents a prime opportunity for any automaker – European ones especially – to show off new metal. You'd figure that would include the sprawling Fiat Chrysler Automobiles group, but instead, one of Europe's largest automakers will be presenting a series of special-edition hatchbacks for the European market. Yeah, we're as disappointed as you are. First up is the Fiat division itself, which will be showcasing the Vintage '57 edition of the 500 and the Panda K-Way. The former puts an even more retro spin on the already-retro hatchback, with a two-tone pastel blue-and-white exterior, 16-inch white-and-chrome wheels and a tobacco-leather interior. The latter was designed in collaboration with the famous rainwear label, K-Way, and features mix-and-match exterior color combinations, titanium-finish trim and a specially crafted interior. Alfa Romeo will be celebrating the European debut of the 4C Spider we already saw in Detroit. In terms of new debuts, Alfa also has the elegant Collezione edition of the Giuletta and the MiTo Racer edition with gray and brown trim that looks, at first blush at least, much more subtle than the name would convey. Though no longer a major player in the Fiat portfolio, Lancia is showcasing the 30th Anniversary and Elle editions of the Ypsilon – the car that in its own words, "Italian women love more than any other." Jeep is showing the Renegade with new powertrain options, and Abarth has updated its range of 500-based hot hatches, but for something new and exciting, it looks like we'll be passing right by the Fiat section at the Geneva Palexpo this year. Related Video: Featured Gallery Fiat Group special editions for Geneva 2015 News Source: Fiat Geneva Motor Show Alfa Romeo Fiat Lancia Hatchback 2015 Geneva Motor Show alfa romeo mito fiat panda alfa romeo giulietta lancia ypsilon

Lancia concepts sweep Stellantis Drive for Design contest

Stellantis describes is annual Drive for Design contest as "an opportunity for high school students to win fabulous prizes while learning about exciting career opportunities in automotive design." Winners not only get gear like a Wacom MobileStudio Pro 16, they're eligible for summer internships in one of Stellantis' design studios. For the last two years of the contest, Rocco Morales won first prize — last year with his Ram Stadion concept, and in 2022 with his Chrysler Helios concept — and that was after coming second in 2021 with his Jeep Crazy Horse concept. With Morales having graduated, aging out of the entry pool, Rohan Sieber could be the next in the repeat winner's circle. Sieber, a junior in Portola, California, won the 2024 Drive for Design challenge. Students were asked to create a fresh concept for any of Stellantis' global brands. Everyone who made the podium chose to create a fictional Lancia. Sieber's entry is the Lancia Zero, "an electric sports car concept inspired by Lancia's legacy of radical design and legendary performance" that reworks the philosophy of the Stratos HF Zero. A junior this year, Sieber has a chance to replicate Morales' record if he enters and wins next year. Second place went to Ryan Panizzoli, a sophomore out of Plymouth, Michigan. The single image provided doesn't put a name to his Lancia creation, but tiny captions indicate a slide-out module in the rear that contains a cooking station.   Owen Bronson of Canton, Michigan claimed third place with this Lancia Pugnale concept, explicitly called a "modern interpretation of the 1970 Lancia Stratos Zero HF Concept." Bronson kept more of the original than Sieber, and included the same kinds of cues that the actual Lancia brand applied to its Pu+Ra Zero and Pu+Ra HPE concepts that previewed future styling for the reborn automaker, like the Ypsilon lighting signature in front, the circular aperture on the roof, and the twin taillights.   The second- and third-place finishers get an Apple iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, a chance to network virtually with the Stellantis Design Team, a scholarship for a four-week summer program at Detroit's College for Creative Studies, and because they're Michigan locals, an invitation to be a Student Judge at the EyesOn Design at Ford House car show in Grosse Pointe, Michigan in June. Congratulations to all three of this year's winners. Design/Style Lancia Stellantis

Lancia teases battery-electric Stratos that will begin brand reset

Last November, Lancia teased its "Emozione Pu+Ra" concept. Drawn by lead designer Jean-Pierre Ploue, the showcase looked more like sculpture or a car from 2523 instead of vehicular inspiration for production models that will begin arriving this year. We simply didn't know how to read the abstractions. Lancia teased another concept earlier this month, this one leading to an eventual battery-electric rebirth of the Lancia Stratos — we made clear connections between the Pur+Ra and what's ahead. Italy's given us another taste of what's to come, this time an overhead shot of the Stratos concept we're going to see on April 15. The circle in the roof signifies at least three things. It recalls Stratos themes evident elsewhere in the dual round taillights and the curved lines on the concept that stand in for the vintage car's louvers. It also represents part of Ploue's plan for Lancia design, the creative officer saying, "Our designs will be built with iconic shapes like the circle, square and triangle." Lastly, it signifies what will be a clear panel in the roof, Lancia saying a round aperture lets in more light than a square one. We imagine there will be a few questions about that when the reveal happens. Automaker CEO Luca Napolitano told media the Emozione Pu+Ra concept embodies the next century of Lancia looks. The Stratos concept aims more near-term. It "will be very close to the production car," and the bold strokes of the design will guide coming products. That's not just about sheetmetal, either; the feature set will encompass the path forward for "sustainability, technology and electrification" as well. The first model to take the revolution to European car buyers will be a new, all-electric generation of the Ypsilon expected later this year. The supermini hatch is the only car Lancia has sold since 2015, the car's market reduced to just Italy in 2017. According to Wikipedia, the Ypsilon is still the second-most-popular car on sale in that country. It's thought the coming version will be a sibling of the electric Fiat 500.  After that, a sedan is due in 2026, and two years later, the production version of the reborn Delta. At the moment, these remain Euro-only prospects. The automaker plans to grow an online retail operation to go with sales in initial markets of Italy, France, Germany, and the UK. If all goes perfectly over the next five years, who knows how far afield a Delta EV could end up.