Hasta La Ideas

Furniture company Cassina has partnered with Lancia to design a homely cabin for the automaker’s Ypsilon model featuring “the first-ever table” in a car‘s cockpit and seats upholstered in lush blue velvet.

The Lancia Ypsilon Edizione Limitata Cassina is being released in a limited number of 1,906 fully electric vehicles as a tribute to the year Lancia was founded.

Its interior was designed to reference domestic spaces, incorporating recycled and recyclable materials in colours that reference Lancia’s heritage.

Cassina CEO Luca Fuso told Dezeen the collaboration had been a “stimulating experience” that “allowed Cassina to transfer its expertise from the design to the automotive sector, creating a new approach with Lancia, strongly inspired by the comfort of home”.

“Together, we have brought to life a car with an elegant and contemporary look, paying extreme attention to stylistic details, inside and out,” he added.

The Ypsilon model incorporates several elements that Lancia and Cassina trialled in their Lancia Pu+Ra HPE concept car, including the unusual tavolino table.

Described by Cassina as “the first-ever table” in a car’s cockpit, the small circular table extends out from the dashboard and is made from a bio-based plastic with saddle-leather upholstery.

It provides storage space for small items and incorporates induction technology so users can charge their phone simply by placing it on the surface.

Seats are covered with a soft blue velvet made from recycled yarn that also appears on the floor, door panels and dashboard, creating a cohesive feel within the cabin.

The upholstery features a ribbed “cannelloni” pattern and double stitching intended to evoke Cassina’s modern furnishings.

The vehicle also incorporates new technologies to help drivers and passengers feel at home, including a virtual interface and infotainment system called SALA, which means living room in Italian but in this case is an acronym for Sound Air Light Augmentation.

SALA allows users to adapt the car’s interior environment and mood by adjusting the audio, climate control and lighting functions at the touch of a button.

According to Lancia CEO Luca Napolitano, the partnership with Cassina brings together two historic Italian companies with a shared vision based on uniting research and innovation with respect for tradition.

“Lancia Ypsilon Edizione Limitata Cassina represents the ultimate expression of onboard comfort and design, featured by category-leading technology and connectivity yet always simple and intuitive, in perfect Lancia style,” said Napolitano.

“This result was also achieved thanks to the collaboration with Cassina, that together with our Centro Stile in Turin designed a true living room, inspired by the welcoming Italian homes.”

Cassina was founded in Meda, Italy, in 1927 and was added to the national heritage register of Italy’s most prestigious manufacturing companies in 2022. Its collection includes furniture designs by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Philippe Starck and Patricia Urquiola.

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