Lancia has confirmed the legendary HF badge will return next year for an electric hot hatch based on the new Ypsilon. The Italian brand said the Ypsilon HF will put out 237bhp, suggesting that it will use the same front-mounted motor as sibling brand Abarth’s 600e. The Ypsilon HF will also get a lower, wider suspension set-up and dispatch the 0-62mph sprint in 5.8sec, Lancia said.
The branding first appeared at the 1960 Geneva motor show as the marker for a band of loyal Lancia owners – the ‘Hi-Fi club’ – who had purchased at least six new cars from the Italian marque. Three years later, it was adopted by the HF Lancia Racing Team and subsequently went on to represent the brand’s many successes in the World Rally Championship. Lancia CEO Luca Napolitano has now confirmed that the manufacturer is “working on” plans to return to rallying.