Currently hyped by project insiders as one of Fiat Auto’s most important future models for many years, development of the third generation Lancia Delta is now well and truly underway.

The car, which has been the centre of talk by many automotive enthusiasts worldwide, will represent the third generation Delta, plugging a gap left vacant since the previous hatchback‘s demise in 1999. Being planned for 2007, the new Delta will arrive shortly after Lancia’s centenary next year and the launch of Fiat’s second generation Stilo.

Both the Stilo and the Delta will share the same floorpan, which will be a development of the current Stilo’s sturdy CDH platform, to undertaken by Austrian engineering and manufacturing giant Magna-Steyr. The new Delta will be produced alongside the Stilo (which will arrive as early as 2007) at the Cassino factory where assembly will be overseen by Magna-Steyr.

Interestingly, in light of Lancia's famed rally history, the current CDH platform has been tested, as is the case with most Fiat Auto cars, including the Fiat Punto and Idea, with a prototype AWD system. This renders the possibility for a high-performance AWD Delta Integrale version.

It is momentarily too early to draw conclusions as to how the new Lancia Delta will look, as design leaks have not yet occurred and pre-production prototypes are still a while off. Despite this, it is reported that Fiat Auto boss, Sergio Marchionne, and the Fiat Group Chairman, Luca di Montezemolo, have both agreed on CAD styling proposals, and that fabrication of clay models is already in progress, while the public presentation of a full-size mock-up at the Geneva Salon next March is under consideration also. Despite the secrecy, many recent artists’ impressions have automatically drawn styling cues from the well received Stilnovo concept car, which was presented at the 2003 Barcelona Motor Show.
 

In charge of the new Delta project’s design is Frank Stephenson. Stephenson is himself a legendary automotive designer, recently being responsible for heading the design at Ferrari and Maserati (F430, MC12 and GranSport), though perhaps his better known projects occurred during his previous posting at BMW, where he worked on the new Mini and X5 SUV.

Rating the Maserati MC 12 as his favourite personal design, Frank Stephenson is certainly the right man for the job: namely relaunching a legendary Lancia model that will always be associated in motoring history with unbeatable rallying panache. Stephenson briefly mentioned to Italiaspeed at the Geneva motor show this year that he was looking forward to his new design position at Lancia and Fiat. To put it in his own words “it’s time to get Lancia back onto the right track.”

At the Geneva motor show this year, Lancia’s Ypsilon Zagato Sport represented a new direction for Lancia. For many years the brand had ignored their sporting pedigree. The unveiling of their gorgeous Fulvia concept in 2003 only made people crave for a production Lancia sportscar (or Gran Turismo) to follow suite. Fenomenon Holistic design’s striking Stratos concept also tempted Frank Stephenson for further inspection. This reinterpretation of the fabled Stratos design, certainly added to Lancia’s sporting renaissance at the Geneva show.

With sporty and chunky looks playing an ever increasing role in modern car purchasing trends, the world awaits the day Lancia relaunches the famous Delta name, with ever growing anticipation.