23.11.2004 The entire Lancia stand in Bologna will be a shrine to Italian good taste, all the warmth and appeal you would expect from a fabulous hotel hideaway or a superb Tuscan villa in the country

The entire Lancia stand in Bologna is a shrine to Italian good taste, all the warmth and appeal you would expect from a fabulous hotel hideaway or a superb Tuscan villa in the country. Places where hospitality is not a matter of a formal welcome but always a warm embrace with simple, sincere gestures.

This, in short, is the spirit that pervades the entire Lancia exhibition area in Bologna. These appealing surroundings provide a backdrop to the latest arrival: the Lancia Musa is a compact MPV that invites you to share in the satisfaction of living aboard a vehicle unique in its segment.

Though definitely a luxury product, it never exceeds the boundaries of good taste because it is designed to meet the desires of those who love to enjoy life but keep their feet on the ground at all times. The Lancia exhibition area therefore encapsulates the essence of the new Musa: an Italian vehicle designed to receive its passengers on board as true guests, with every detail attuned to make them feel at ease at all times.

The new car, indisputable star of the stand, is exhibited in three versions equipped with the revolutionary Multijet power units: two with a 1.9 engine and one in a 1.3 version combined with the exclusive D.F.N. ('Dolce Far Niente') robotised gearbox. The three cars on show are dressed in Vasari Pearl, Peyrano Chocolate and Rossini Grey. Refined colours that blend in perfectly with the stylish Wenghe wood floor of the exhibition area.

Near the area reserved for the Musa you can see the other queen of the stand: the Lancia Ypsilon. Fresh from a year of public and critical acclaim, such as the European Automotive Design Award it won recently in Brussels, 'The 2004 car I like best' assigned by the readers of the magazine Quattroruote and 'The most beautiful car in the world' in the opinion of a jury of design experts, Lancia's pocket flagship can be seen on an elliptical stand in top-quality wood and marble flooring. The three cars on display at the Show stand out for their body colours. Outstanding are the two new arrivals from the Lancia Ypsilon range in powder pink and light blue. They stand alongside a two-tone 'b-colore' Limited series version and all are fitted with the 1.3 Multijet engine which in two cases is also combined with the D.F.N. ('Dolce Far Niente') gearbox.

The ultra-new pink and light blue shades are presented in the Oro specification with interiors borrowed from the world of sailing and colours matching those of the bodywork. The new pink and blue Ypsilons have 16" alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, parking sensors, and radio controls on the steering wheel which is leather-upholstered like the gear lever. The 'light blue' pocket flagship is also equipped with a sophisticated satellite navigation system.

The colour scheme in the display area dedicated to these two cars is all in light blue and pink: from the sofas to the side tables and the piano at the centre. All the furnishings are in these shades, a tribute to the 1960s when the international jet set moved from the 'Dolce Vita' of Portofino and Versilia to the glamour and excesses of Monte Carlo and Hollywood. The fashionable world was in constant ferment and Italian car design set the trend for elegance and innovation. At the time, numerous 'works of art on four wheels' bore the Lancia trademark: cars such as the Flavia, the Fulvia, the Stratos and the Beta HPE.

The Lancia stand also includes a third Ypsilon that harks back to this 'vintage' context: a twin-tone 'b-colore' featuring a stylish 'Paganini Ivory - Caravaggio Brown' combination. This appealing and hugely attractive livery is reminiscent of the one-off editions Fire, Air, Earth and Water introduced just last year at the Bologna Motor Show that aroused so much interest among visitors and the international press. Lancia has chosen to flank these two automotive gems with a sophisticated Phedra in a new shade, Golden White, a warm, refined light pearl, which envelops the form and line of the MPV perfectly. In addition to this shade, a second exclusive colour called Rossini Grey will be available as from next year.

The last car on the catwalk is the brand's flagship, the 175 bhp Thesis Emblema 2.4 jtd with two-tone bodywork in Mink and Dark Brown. This one-off version assures customers the satisfaction of driving or being driven in an élite car. Visitors will be able to admire sophisticated interiors created with absolutely top quality materials that feel equally special to the touch, selected for their good looks and also the sensory reactions they arouse.

The entire Lancia stand is a warm, welcoming environment with sophisticated, expensive-looking materials that create an impression of luxury and sophistication that is always understated. Carefully crafted top quality materials such as walnut, marble and wenghe wood create a place of great appeal with every detail finished to perfection, ready to enfold visitors into a protective embrace. Airy, sunny images of the Lancia Musa are also projected onto a led screen measuring more than 9 m2 that makes a fine hi-tech addition to the stand.

The same warmth is evident inside the Lancia building that forms the background to the exhibition area with its wall of wenghe wood panels. The structure is characteristically yacht-shaped and further embellished by a gorgeous water feature, an ever-present theme on Lancia stands. On the ground floor, you can visit the Lancia boutique. This is deliberately visible from the outside so that your attention can be drawn by items of sheer Italian class, and the Water Bar where visitors can choose from over fifty different types of mineral water.