As Lancia is getting ready for its renaissance with three new model launches confirmed for the next few years, its CEO, Luca Napolitano, said that they are benchmarking Mercedes-Benz while focusing on profitability.

More specifically, as reported by Automotive News Europe, Napolitano said: “We still need to work and need to look at a benchmark, which for us is Mercedes. I don’t mean we want to fight against Mercedes, that would be naive, but that is an example of what we look at.”

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Before being reduced to a single-model brand, Lancia was offering the Thesis (2001-2009) which was a direct rival to the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5 Series, and Audi A6. Although sales never took off for Lancia’s flagship, it did offer a high level of luxury at a good price for the segment.

Lancia, together with Alfa Romeo and DS, have formed a premium cluster among the 14 brands of Stellantis. Sharing the R&D costs will allow the three automakers to step up in terms of quality and equipment, thus making it possible for Lancia to benchmark traditional premium manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz.

Unlike Alfa Romeo and DS which are global brands, Lancia had retreated to the Italian market for several years. However, from 2024, Lancia is planning on expanding to Europe. The rollout will start from Germany and France, followed by Spain, Belgium, Austria, and the Nordic countries.

Lancia’s boss said that although volumes are important, the main targets set have to do with profitability. The initial target is around 25-30 percent of Lancia sales to come from outside Italy, eventually reaching a more balanced 50 percent. The goal is to create 100 selling points for Lancia in 60 European cities, putting emphasis on online sales.

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Luca Napolitano said that future Lancia models will have “a significant portion of recycled materials” enhancing their eco-friendly profile in combination with the fully electric powertrain.

As for Lancia’s future range, Napolitano said: “Our aggressive electrification strategy and our focus on market segments which are very strong in Europe will help us”. The relaunch of the brand will start with the all-new Ypsilon, set to arrive in 2024 in both fully electric and hybrid guise. In 2026, Lancia will launch a fully electric crossover that is rumored to bring back the Aurelia name. Finally, the reborn Delta in the form of an “exciting” fully electric compact hatchback will follow in 2027 or 2028.

Like other brands, Lancia got a 10-year window to prove it is viable and profitable, thus securing its spot in the Stellantis portfolio. While the initial plan doesn’t include expanding outside Europe, Napolitano said that if things go well, they could consider selling right-hand-drive models to other markets like Japan, South Africa, or Australia.