Leave the gamma in peace!
Does the renaissance of an old model name really make sense? New, young customers may not remember the old model. And old customers may be bitterly disappointed if the successor is so different. So it's basically pointless. Just think of the old and new Ford Capri. Or the new and old Opel GT. Rather than leaving a historic name alone, the ridicule in specialist circles is practically pre-programmed. Nevertheless, Lancia is now trying a new edition of the Gamma name. And it's putting the model right at the top: It reinterprets the brand values, it is a modern expression of Italian elegance, it stands for technological innovation and efficiency. Is that self-confidence or whistling up a storm?
You have to look back 50 years to see the last Gamma in your mind's eye. And spare us a look back more than 100 years to when the very first Gamma was built. So back to the 1970 model. Even with that, all people under 60 can be ruled out as a buyer of memories. The Gamma was an upscale mid-range model as a hatchback sedan and as a vaunted coupé. It was designed by Pininfarina star Aldo Bravarone, who was also responsible for the Dino 206/246. Neither of these are body variants that are currently in demand on the market. And so the new Gamma is nothing of the sort, but an SUV. Pardon, a "crossover with the silhouette of a fastback" is how Lancia tries to get out of the affair. A hatchback after all. An SUV with a hatchback.
The old Gamma was a pure Lancia development, although the brand already belonged to Fiat at the time. Apparently, this freedom was allowed outside of the group synergies. This is no longer the case today. The new Gamma is based on the STLA medium platform from multi-brand group Stellantis. This is an e-concept on which Opel, Jeep, Peugeot and Fiat can build pretty much anything they want to market. Consequently, there will be several electric models and a hybrid. The predecessor featured carburetor engines, which were a source of discontent at the time.
This was one of the reasons for the rather modest sales. We remember that the Gamma was not one of the bestsellers. Around 22,000 units in seven years is rather a flop, even for a special brand like Lancia, especially as around 6,800 coupés were produced directly by Pininfarina. With this sales figure, Roberta Zerbi, responsible for Lancia at Stellantis, is unlikely to appear before the management. However, the Gamma is only to be launched where Lancia is already being sold: Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Benelux and Portugal are not huge markets; at best, Italy and France promise unit sales. For the time being, no sales are planned in larger or more demanding markets such as Switzerland and Germany. This is not a sign of self-confidence. Perhaps a new name would have been better after all, or the other way round: leave the old Gamma alone!
