New EU copyright spurs hope of an electrified Lancia Fulvia comeback

In a new copyright filing at the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) from January 30th, Stellantis has reserved exclusive rights to apply the Fulvia name to, “powered vehicles for use on land.” And, while that’s a long way from a confirmation – there’s reason to hope.

While it’s a common enough thing for car brands to renew the trademarks of names used in their iconic models, the Lancia brand has been enjoying a bit of a renaissance as old videos of Group B rally racers get bigger and bigger followings on TikTok and Reels. At the same time, design firms are paying tribute to the brand’s legacy with new concepts while the recently revealed Ypsilon has incorporated some of the brand’s iconic styling cues and paving the way for a new, premium Gamma crossover set to debut later this year and a fully electric, high-performance Delta hatchback set to arrive in time for the 2028 model year.

Meanwhile, the latest Fiat Panda is having a viral moment while Renault’s retro-tastic (and similarly Group B inspired) Renault R5 and R5 Turbo 3E is making headlines in the only way that matters for these things: by putting up big sales numbers.

In that context, a new electric (or electrified, anyway, given Stellantis’ recent history) Fulvia doesn’t seem so far-fetched.

That said, even if Lancia really is just about the only brand that’s getting its act together under Stellantis’ leadership, it’s unlikely that Lancia has the budget to develop a dedicated sedan berlina model like the OG Fulvia built between 1963 and ’76. It’s much more likely that, if it happens at all, we’ll see the historic Fulvia name appear on something like a small crossover.

Think Mustang Mach-E, but at 7/8 scale.

Why are we talking about Lancia?

There’s an old adage in the car business that goes, “win on Sunday, sell on Monday.” It sounds great, but if winning races actually sold cars, Lancia would be the best-selling car brand on Earth.

In 1974, 1975, 1976, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1992, different cars carrying the Lancia shield and flag emblem won the World Rally Championship – and the cars that brought the brand its ultimate success couldn’t be more different from one another. There was the Fulvia, of course – but the pretty little coupe would eventually give way to the snarling, mid-engined, Ferrari-engined Stratos supercar in later years. That car was replaced the RWD 307, which itself was replaced by a four-door hatchback called Delta, which propelled Lancia to its greatest era of rally dominance.

Lancia’s glory was unquestioned across three decades. Its sales, on the other hand, were dismal.

Sales were so dismal, in fact, that Lancia pulled out of the US market after the 1982 model year. In Europe, the situation wasn’t much better. Despite some bright moments here and there, Lancia eventually pulled out of every single international market.

In 2021, you could still buy a Lancia only in Italy – and the only model available was a slow, overpriced “luxury” subcompact about the size of a Toyota Yaris called the Ypsilon, or “Y” … as in, “Y bother?”

The new Ypsilon? I wouldn’t call it great, but it’s good. Heck, I might even call it desirable – but I have whatever the latest DSM says it is that would make a man buy six Lancias, so I wouldn’t put much stock in that.

The copyright news was first reported (as far as I can tell) in the Dutch-language AutoWeek blog. There’s not much here, but Lancia fans have been living off a lot less for decades, and the last few years have been priming us for something really good. Here’s hoping it comes to something.

Original content from Electrek; the featured image at top was released into the public domain by its author, ChiemseeMan, at the English Wikipedia project.