Lancia Pu+Ra HPE Points the Way to EV Future

• Lancia collaborates with luxury furniture maker Cassina for an EV concept that previews the underpinnings of the New Ypsilon.

• The Pu+Ra HPE concept—which stands for High Performance Electric—previews Lancia's turn to electrification, with plans to sell only EVs starting in 2028.

• The innovative concept remixes classic Lancia design details with an interior inspired by Italian luxury furniture, along with using sustainable and recyclable materials.

Lancia may have committed to launching only new electric cars starting in 2026, but until now we've rarely seen just how the storied marque imagines the turn to electrification. The 116-year-old Italian luxury brand, under the Stellantis umbrella for a few years now, obliged this week with an adventurous concept inspired by Italian furniture design.

Lancia teamed up with luxury furniture maker Cassina for an EV concept based on the upcoming New Ypsilon, slated to arrive in 2024. But while the New Ypsilon will be a small crossover, the Pu+Ra HPE concept is an avant-garde coupe expected to preview some of the styling cues of the 2024 concept, while borrowing the planned production model's battery, electric motor, and other components.

First, the name itself requires a short expository monologue, even though diehard Lancia fans may remember what car first bore the HPE acronym, with the Lancia Beta using it to denote High Performance Estate.

"The concept car is named Lancia Pu+Ra HPE: 'Pu+Ra' refers to the brand's new, pure, and radical design language, while HPE stands for High Performance Electric, for a car that is Eco-sustainable, Exciting and Evolved, all at the same time," the automaker says.

The concept's rear glass is a direct nod to the Beta HPE, while the roof itself features a circular window inspired by architectural elements.

The concept—finished in a color Lancia calls Progressive Green—relies on large glass all around to fill the interior with natural light, intended to give it the feeling of a warm living space. The exterior of the concept was designed with aerodynamics in mind, with Lancia designers even taking the efficiency of the wheels into account.