lancia 'Pu+Ra HPE', the brand's first 100% electric car, drives through milan

Aug 26, 2023

At Milan Design Week 2023, Lancia exhibits its first 100% electric car under the moniker of Pu+Ra HPE. The name of the car itself already previews the 10-year vision of the brand toward electric mobility. The car design of Pu+Ra refers to the brand's new, ‘pure’ and ‘radical’ design language, while HPE stands for High-Performance Electric, a car that is eco-sustainable, exciting, and evolved, all at once. The car concept of Lancia Pu+Ra HPE is expected to have a range of over 700 km and takes little more than 10 minutes to be fully charged, butting up against its energy consumption of fewer than 10 kWh per 100km.

‘Today Lancia presents Lancia Pu+Ra HPE, the brand vision for the next 10 years that takes the brand into the era of electric mobility and sums up our way of conceiving and experiencing the car. Starting with the new Ypsilon, our cars of the future will be inspired by the Lancia Pu+Ra HPE,’ says Luca Napolitano, CEO of the Lancia brand. Taking a step further toward the brand's entrance to electrifying vehicles, the green hue of the Lancia Pu+Ra HPE's exterior is named ‘progressive green,’ a symbol of Lancia's future-forward vision and value toward renewable energy.

images courtesy of Lancia

Touching on the car's design, Lancia Pu+Ra HPE may resemble a roomy spacecraft amplified by the expansive circular roof that offers panoramic views, the brand's obvious reference to architectural elements. Its auto-dimming feature allows the driver and passengers to shield themselves from the sun or let them savor the scenic surroundings.

Beyond the design, technology is also at the forefront of Lancia's new era. Pu+Ra HPE is equipped with S.A.L.A. or Sound Air Light Augmentation, which is a smart virtual interface that brings together audio, climate control, and lighting functions in a single system. By simply tapping a button, the driver and front passenger can easily control the sound system, cabin temperature, and brightness level of light inside the vehicle. Aside from a single-tap feature, Pu+Ra HPE also responds well to voice commands for hands-free instruction.

The driver and passenger may choose between three modes that adapt to their mood and the car's ambiance accordingly. One of the modes, named Wellbeing, can even anticipate the moods of the driver and passenger and help improve their state by changing the atmosphere on board based on the detected data by the system. The function works thanks to the support of Stellantis Artificial Intelligence called TAPE (Tailored Predictive Experience).

Milan Design Week 2023 may suit well with the premiere of Lancia Pu+Ra HPE since the brand states that the vehicle is the first car inspired by the world of Italian furniture design, thanks to the collaboration with Cassina. ‘Design is one of the pillars of Lancia Renaissance, the fil rouge now guiding the brand into the first phase of its rebirth path. It is an honor for me to see Lancia playing a leading role in the Milan Design Week 2023. Lancia Pu+Ra HPE is on display in Via Durini, the heart of the event, in front of the Milan Cassina Store, Lancia's partner in the creation of the concept car's interiors,’ says Napolitano.

Cassina lends its design know-how to Lancia by taking over the interior of the Pu+Ra HPE, hauling over its entirety to evoke a home feeling within an electric automobile. In fact, the furniture company places a round carpet in the front seats, the former being one of its staple designs and the latter drawing on the Maralunga armchairs designed by Vico Magistretti for Cassina. Glancing at the center console and the dashboard, round tables appear too crossed by clear cuts in terms of their design. Lancia and Cassina install large windows all over the electric car to mimic a hospitable environment and a living space commonly found in an Italian home.

‘Our starting point was certain furnishings that set the tone of a home, which were then transferred to the Lancia Pu+Ra HPE: the centrality of upholstered items in the living room; the coffee table, a "multifunctional" central element; finally, the warmth of the carpet immediately recalls a homely environment, with great importance given to the color and consistency of the materials,’ says Lancia.