2009 Lancia Delta

Lancia at the 79th Geneva International Motorshow

At Geneva Lancia is presenting new features on all the models in the Ypsilon, Musa and Delta ranges in terms of both style and power units. For these important previews a highly attractive and stylistic stand has been created, based on a haute couture showroom, in which black contrasts with the purity of white and the elegance of silver. In the same way, the fittings and materials used reflect the care and quality of craftsmanship used in the interiors of the Lancia models. The 'Lancia Café', a rendezvous and oasis of calm, makes a welcome return, as it did at the latest film festivals - Cannes and Venice – where it became a 'must' for actors and show business stars. Designed to welcome the public in an elegant and engaging manner, the exhibition area allows the public to admire the latest developments in car design and, at the same time, experience the emotions of the Lancia environment.
The spotlight is on both the new Delta Executive, the luxurious flagship intended for customers looking for maximum exclusivity and comfort, and the novel Delta Hardblack, a show-car which has a completely matt Lava Black body and interior finish in Alcantara Starlite, also black.

The Delta Executive and Hardblack are fitted – in their world preview version - with the powerful 1.8 liter Di TurboJet engine developing 200 HP and Euro 5 compliant driving a new automatic 6-speed transmission. (posted on conceptcarz.com) This is an engine with direct gasoline injection which, despite a sparkling performance (maximum speed 230 km/h - 0 to 100 km/h in 7.4 seconds), limits consumption and emissions respectively to 7.8 l/100km in the combined cycle and 185 g/km CO2.




The Delta Executive is aimed at business, diplomatic and institutional customers. The main feature is the design of the rear passenger compartment. The seats are more supportive and comfortable, designed for a business class standard. With the front seats moved back, there is plenty of leg room, a real boon on long journeys. The Delta Executive therefore offers a real alternative, which is modern and in the spirit of the times, a flagship with better dimensions, weights, consumption and prices.

The Delta Executive is also the beneficiary of the latest Lancia technological advances, and in particular introduces the new variable damping electronic suspension system (Reactive Suspension), which is also available as an option on the rest of the range. Lancia will also be marketing its Magic Parking semi-automatic parking system after the Geneva show.

Source - Lancia

Delta Executive, the new flagship Lancia

Geneva sees the debut of the Delta Executive, the new Lancia flagship which exactly matches the requirements of a refined customer who is alive to technological developments but knows the value of tradition, who wants a solid product but also exclusivity and prestige. These are businessmen, managers and independent professionals who know how to combine conceptually opposing values such as tradition and innovation, rationality and emotion, but who are also representatives of the institutional and diplomatic milieus.

Aimed, therefore, at customers seeking greater elegance and comfort, the Delta Executive offers an exclusive rear seat providing the same comfort as a business class seat on an intercontinental flight. In addition, the roominess of the rear passenger compartment in the Delta is the best in the market segment, confirming that Lancia has devoted the utmost attention to the space reserved to passengers rather than just the driver. So the original Executive version is also the perfect answer for prestige representation purposes.

The version shown at Geneva is fitted with the powerful 1.8 liter Di TurboJet engine developing 200 HP and Euro 5 compliant, coupled with a new 6-speed automatic transmission. (posted on conceptcarz.com) In addition, from the outside, the Delta Executive is distinguished by its two-tone bodywork (body in Light Bronze and 'Eclipse' gloss black roof), the special two-tone diamond-edged alloy rims, the gold 'D' logo on the door pillar and the word 'Delta' on the rear window as well as the special trims. Inside, the Lancia Delta Executive offers high-quality seats with new wraparound head restraints and dashboard covered in Frau Pieno Fiore beige leather with special chocolate brown edging, 'Montblanc' black dashboard, double tinted glass courtesy light on the roof liner and leather embellished with new elegant stitching. Developed from the Delta Platino, the new version offers as standard: Reactive Suspension System, parking sensors, 6 airbags, dual-zone automatic climate control, Granluce sunroof, Instant Nav, Absolute Handling System, fog lights with cornering function, and a front armrest with refrigerator compartment.

Let's look in detail at three very interesting features of the new Executive version of the Lancia Delta: the Absolute Handling System and DST (Drive Steering Torque) steering wheel; the electronic suspension with variable damping (Reactive Suspension System); and the new semi-automatic parking assistance system (Magic parking).

Absolute Handling System and DST (Drive Steering Torque) steering wheel
To ensure perfect control of the car by the driver, the Lancia Delta uses the 'Absolute Handling System' – a development of ESP (Electronic Stability Program) - the system which intervenes in conditions close to the limit, when the stability of the car is at risk, and helps the driver to control the vehicle. In addition, two further systems are coupled to the Absolute Handling System: the Hill Holder system, which assists the driver on hill starts; the ASR anti-slip system (Anti Slip Regulation), which optimizes traction at all speeds using the brakes and engine control; and the MSR system (Motor Schleppmoment Regelung – Drag Torque Regulation), which cuts in and reduces engine torque when the gear is shifted down abruptly when climbing.

But the Absolute Handling System on the Lancia Delta is an 'advanced' type in that it introduces some very important functions such as LTF (Linearisation Torque Feedback) and TTC (Torque Transfer Control). In addition, the new control system always intervenes 'discreetly' thanks to its association with DST (Drive Steering Torque), the 'active electronic steering system' which automatically makes corrections and corrects oversteer on low grip surfaces.

DST (Drive Steering Torque) is the innovative system which improves both driving safety and handling behavior. Únder all driving conditions, the electronic steering system suggests to the driver the correct maneuvers to be performed, resulting in optimum roadholding and instilling a great sense of security. It is the result of the continuous interaction between the electric power steering (which applies torque to the steering wheel) and electronic dynamic control (Absolute Handling System). In effect, DST automatically makes corrections, helps maintain control of the vehicle and makes the intervention of the Absolute Handling System more 'discrete'.
There are three conditions under which the DST system proves particularly useful:
- In the event of oversteer the system performs the most appropriate maneuver to maintain control of the car under all conditions.

- MCF (Mu-Split Control Function) intervenes in the event of driving on surfaces with variable grip (for example, it often happens in winter that two wheels are on ice while the other two are on asphalt). In this particular case, the DST system orders an automatic countersteer which controls the car (avoiding a spin) and at the same time stopping as quickly as possible (braking distance reduced by 10%).

- LTF (Liberalization Torque Feedback): in sports driving, if the system detects increased lateral acceleration (above 0.6 g) it cuts in, providing increased torque against the steering wheel. In this way, it markedly improves the sensation of control on bends, especially at high speeds.

Finally, Lancia Delta offers the new TTC system (Torque Transfer Control) which improves the transfer of engine torque to the wheels and, in particular, guarantees optimum behavior of the car on bends, making it safer and more enjoyable in sports driving or in low grip conditions. The TTC system is based on exploiting the braking system which, accurately operated by the electronic control unit of the Absolute Handling System, creates behavior very similar to a limited slip differential (in other words the TTC system electronically simulates the presence of a self-locking differential). In particular, the front braking system, under acceleration on bends, operates on the inside wheel, thereby increasing the motive power of the outside wheel (higher load), thereby distributing the torque between the front driving wheels dynamically and continuously in accordance with the driving conditions and road surface.

Electronic suspension with variable damping (Reactive Suspension System)


But the biggest novelty of the model is the introduction of a system created in collaboration with Magneti Marelli: the innovative oscillation damping system (Reactive Suspension System), hitherto reserved for the most modern cars in the top segments and applied for the first time by the Fiat Group to a car in the medium segment. The Reactive Suspension System – using real time electronic control of the shock absorbers – reduces oscillations of the car body under all driving conditions, thereby guaranteeing the highest levels of safety, comfort and drivability. Úsing several sensors, the system identifies the driving scenario and the road conditions and chooses the most appropriate control programs. These include the function known as 'Sky-Hook', which isolates the passenger compartment and makes it notionally motionless with respect to external disturbances.

In addition, thanks to the computing power of the electronic control unit and the instantaneous response of precise electrovalves, the system immediately cancels out disturbances coming from uneven road surfaces and provides optimal dynamic control even in sports driving mode (selectable), improving handling and steering precision.
Last but not least, the Reactive Suspension System reduces the stopping distance of the car (by about 5%, due to the perfect contact between wheel and ground) and provides prompt intervention in the event of emergency maneuvers with subsequent smooth resumption of safety conditions.

Semi-automatic parking assistance system (Magic parking)


Finding a suitable parking space is often a difficult operation in cities with high traffic densities. And once one is found, due to the narrowness of the spaces available, the maneuver can be quite demanding. To counter this, the Lancia Delta has an innovative parking assistance system which helps the driver both to recognize whether a parking space is big enough, and to perform the actual entry maneuver. In fact, the system first measures the length of the free space, indicating whether it is sufficient for the car. Next, the system automatically steers the vehicle when reversing, leaving the driver to adjust the speed using accelerator and brake.

In a single maneuver, the vehicle is positioned correctly in a parallel parking space, optimizing entry into the free space available in order to limit the number of successive alignment maneuvers of the vehicle by the driver. Obviously, the driver has full control of the whole operation by operating the pedals, and can deactivate the system by operating the steering wheel or disengaging reverse gear, or alternatively pressing the dedicated push button.
The heart of the system is a radar sensor installed on the right and left sides of the vehicle, inside the front bumpers. The radar beam is sent into the space to the right (or left) and the echoes are detected by the sensor, which generates a map of the area between the parked cars, 'sees' the free space and identifies other possible obstacles. At the same time, using the information coming from the measurement of wheel speed, the system is able to measure the length of the free spaces.

The driver is notified of the presence of a suitable parking space if the length measured is compatible with the dimensions of the vehicle plus 130 centimeters (must be at least 5.82 meters): an acoustic signal indicates recognition of a suitable space, while the display indicates whether the parking maneuver can be calculated in a single or several operations.

If the driver considers the parking space identified acceptable and engages reverse gear, the system is able to control the lateral movement of the vehicle using the power steering, allowing the driver take his hands off the steering wheel and control the movement of the vehicle exclusively with the accelerator and brake pedals: in this phase, the maximum speed allowed is 7 km/h and, if the driver wants to interrupt operation of the system, he need only resume control of the steering wheel.

Source - Lancia

New 1.8 Liter Di Turbo Jet engine producing 200 HP (with 6-speed automatic transmission) for Delta

Lancia Delta is the ideal answer to the three fundamental and often opposing demands of the modern customer: it offers the space of a big sedan but the length of a compact; the power of a sports car, but with ecologically friendly emission levels and economic consumption; top of the range equipment, but at a 'realistic' price. Lancia Delta therefore meets the needs of today's prestige customers by 'downsizing', in other words providing superior performance and luxury with low cost, size and consumption. In this context we have the debut of the new 'direct gasoline injection' engine: the powerful 1.8 liter Di TurboJet engine producing 200 HP (Euro 5). Coupled with an advanced 6-speed automatic transmission, the innovative engine confirms the commitment of Lancia Automobiles in the field of environmental compliance in terms of containing emissions and reducing consumption. All of which further enhances the sparkle, flexibility and driving pleasure which have always been the hallmark the make.
Produced by FPT – Fiat Powertrain Technologies, the new engine delivers a maximum output of 200 HP (147 kw) at 5000 rpm and maximum torque of 320 Nm (32.6 Kgm) at 1400 rpm. Combined with a 6-speed automatic/sequential transmission, the new 1.8 liter 200 HP Di TurboJet engine provides unmatched excitement and driving pleasure. As shown by the performance values - maximum speed of 230 km/h and acceleration of 0 to 100 km/h in just 7.4 seconds. And, despite this exciting performance, the consumption and emissions of the Lancia Delta fitted with this engine are low: respectively 7.8 l/100km in the combined cycle and CO2 emissions of 185 g/km. The new engine is Euro 5 compliant.

To provide high power, remarkable flexibility and sparkling output, the new engine introduces direct gasoline injection and turbocharging using continuous dual VVT (variable valve timing) on both the inlet and exhaust side. The combination of these different technological solutions offers customers significant advantages. For instance, direct injection gives low fuel consumption in relation to the power produced by the engine. And the turbocharger linked to the dual VVT allows rapid response, due to a particularly favorable torque curve.

Source - Lancia

Lancia Delta will be the 'Official Car' of the world celebration of twenty years since the fall of the Berlin Wall

Lancia renews its commitment to pressing social issues by taking on a starring role in one of the most significant celebrations of the last few years. The fall of the Berlin Wall changed history forever, and today it is increasingly seen as a symbol of all the struggles against the barriers to knock down, both physical ones as well as cultural ones in particular.

On 9th November, a fleet of Lancia Delta cars will be accompanying all the numerous institutional guests along the streets of the German capital up to Brandenburg Gate where the spectacular celebration ceremony will take place.



'Delta' is the symbol for difference, for that additional factor which drives every evolution, every improvement and this is why the Lancia saloon has always been the carrier of messages and actions which have defied the status quo.

An example of this is the advertising campaign starring Richard Gere which raised awareness amid the public opinion on the Tibetan issue and the moving 30'', aired at the beginning of the year, which paid homage to Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace winner in 1991, in support of her liberation. This latter project was devised on the occasion of the 9th World Summit of Nobel Peace Prizes which took place last December in Paris and scheduled this year to take place in Berlin itself, following the celebration of twenty years since the fall of the Wall.



Berlin, October 21st 2009

Source - Lancia