Filed under: Spy Photos, Euro, Hatchbacks
Hot new hatch in Italian = Lancia Delta
The new Lancia Delta has been spotted at a photo shoot, and this blogger thinks it's a mighty find looking car. The production version of the Lancia Delta HPE Concept that debuted at the 2006 Paris Auto Show, was apparently considered a disappointment, and the lines haven't really changed. The car has traces of some recent Ford (of Europe, of course) products, such as the Verve and Fiesta, but that doesn't make it any less beautiful, and remember the concept car was out two years ago. The Delta, at about 4.5 meters long, 1.8 meters wide and 1.5 meters tall, is meant to challenge the Audi A3 and VW Golf, and will get turbocharged engines from 120 hp up to 200 hp. It looks like Lancia will be the last Fiat brand and take the longest to return to former glory, but this is a fine start.
[Source: Autogespot]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Sean 9:38AM (4/23/2008)
The front reminds me of a Buick Enclave, and the rear is way too close to a Nissan Murano. I'm not a huge fan of it. Nothing about it really screams anything but "Utility!"
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Quattrofan 9:50AM (4/23/2008)
Nice hatch. It comes a bit short delivering the purposeful butchiness of the old Delta Integrale...still. ...Kudos to Fiat for making this look different then most hatches out there.
Now they need to dress few of them up in Martini Racing livery and hit the WRC circuit.
HAWC1506 7:43PM (4/23/2008)
The side looks like a 09 Fiesta on steroids.
SPG 9:52AM (4/23/2008)
If a new Delta is coming I can only hope and expect it to live up to the ultra high standards of the original Lancia Delta.
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Rick 10:10AM (4/23/2008)
Yep, unless this is the son of the original Integrale, what's the point in a 'name' come back? Give it a everything it needs to remind the world who owned world rallying in the late 80's and early 90's, until they retired from racing.
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Duders 10:13AM (4/23/2008)
I'd be very surprised if this were even nearly as good as the original. I don't really like the looks of it, though I understand why they are going away from the styling of the old Delta Integrale. You can't just have a rehash of the same old design. The true test for this car will to see how good it looks with rooster tails of mud behind it while going sideways
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Travis 10:14AM (4/23/2008)
is it me, or is does that look WAY too big to be a hot-hatch? It looks huge when it has a person standing next to it, more like an estate version as opposed to an actual hatchback... :thumbsdown:
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Milos 10:28AM (4/23/2008)
I agree, this thing is almost a foot longer than Golf Mk5...somehow i would not know what to do with such a car that's is neither the hatch or sedan. It reminds me of Renault Vel Satise or the similarly looking Opel Signum (in america it was sold as Chevy Malibu Maxx if i'm not mistaken)
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Rick 10:59AM (4/23/2008)
O.K., I was finally able to open up the pics link. This car has nothing to do with the original. It's bland and looks like 90% of the other appliances that pass for cars these days. Lancia, did you fire your styling department?
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Kowell 11:08AM (4/23/2008)
Hatch? This thing looks like a Murano sibbling. I know Compact SUVs are getting bigger and bigger but I didn't know hatches were that big yet.... If that's a hatch then my Pontiac Vibe is a micro-car
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Onur 5:17AM (4/24/2008)
This car is not so big, the styling reminds a big looking car but thats all. the car shares the same chassis with Fiat Bravo which is a C segment car but this one is just a little bit bigger, letting the model positioned between C and D segments to target a larger customer base.
gotsmart 11:26AM (4/23/2008)
This looks like the mutant offspring of a Nissan Murano and a London taxi.
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Shiftright 1:43PM (4/23/2008)
I think it's elegant, sexy and unique, even if the back does look a bit like a Murano, although to be fair, Lancia had this look on its own Ypsilon before the Murano debuted.
havoc 12:00PM (4/23/2008)
it looks ok in black, but i don't like the chrome grill (black it out). yes the tail is about 80% murano.
looks like a decent car overall tho, too bad it isn't twin-charged.
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chrisdavis 12:20PM (4/23/2008)
It's the mini-Murano I always wanted Nissan to build.
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jgp 12:53PM (4/23/2008)
Ugh, I hate that fugly front end.
I wish Lancia would return to the front end they used in the 1990s.
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PiCASSO 1:11PM (4/23/2008)
It looks actually good in black... with the chrome grill. But in that off-white/beige colour, I'm not feeling it at all.
Amazing how one colour can make a difference in the appearance of a car.
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Matthew_NZ 4:00PM (4/23/2008)
Ok guys, enough already. If the only Lancia you know is the Integrale, then obviously this car won't make sense to you.
But if you live and breathe Italian cars, you would know the boxy, flared beast that is the Integrale is not the end-all of Lancia's dsign language.
Before their foray into chiselled lines, Lancia was known for its beautiful organic forms (Think Auralia) and this is where the 2009 Delta draws its inspiration.
tHe designers were not given full creative freedom, it must be said, as the Delta's basic architecture is common with the FIAT Bravo.
however, this car still exudes Italian chic, looks more expensive than it is and has a certain flair that a Golf or Astra certainly doesn't have.
The Murano comments are a cheap shot, as Lancia debuted that rear design language years prior to the Nissan.
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Westside T.O. 5:41PM (4/23/2008)
I think this is a sexy car, and I HATE CUV's!
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Rick 7:38PM (4/23/2008)
It's got a VW/Audi front end overhang profile, Murano rear, and although I like the grill, the car looks better in the thumbnails than it does enlarged. When viewed in a larger photo size, it just doesn't seem to flow smoothly.
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