Lancia Musa

The new Musa is the top-of-the-range version of the Fiat Idea MPV introduced in 2003. It is Lancia's first in-house design in this category. Previously, the Italian manufacturer integrated into its catalogue a family MPV called the Zeta, launched in 1994 and produced by the Fiat Group in cooperation with PSA. This model was also being sold under the names Peugeot 806, Citroën Évasion and Fiat Ulysse.

The Lancia Musa, like the Fiat Idea, was based on the chassis of the small Lancia Ypsilon city car presented at the 2003 Geneva Motor Show, which was itself derived from the Fiat Punto, also built at the huge Fiat-Mirafiori plant in Turin. With its Musa, which was sometimes associated with the small Japanese 'Kei Cars', Lancia entered the minicar segment, where it competed with the Renault Modus, the Opel Meriva and the Peugeot 1007. The Musa stood out in this category for its elegance and spacious interior.

RELAUNCHING THE BRAND 

Lancia was no longer as successful as it had been in the early 2000s. The serious financial crisis that shook the Fiat Group, to which Lancia belonged since 1969, had taken its toll, and the days when the Delta dominated international rallies were long gone. Management at the Italian car giant are keeping the Turin-based brand, which for a long time was the group's top-of-the-range flagship and its sporting spearhead, on life support. As a premonitory sign, the spear and the standard were the two graphic symbols that disappeared from the Lancia logo, which was modified by the Robilant Associati communications agency at the time...

While the medium and upper-medium range models Lybra and Thesis were no longer being developed, Fiat's management, in a final attempt, nevertheless decided to give Lancia a new boost with the Ypsilon city car. At the same time, the carmaker's historic sporting image was definitively put aside for a shift towards luxury and comfort. The Musa, derived from the Fiat Idea, was fully in line with this new brand image and would contribute in its own way to Lancia's recovery over the next few years and to its repositioning on the European market.

LUXURY CARD 

Lancia has gone through a difficult period, but is determined to consolidate its identity as a manufacturer with a tradition of good taste and Italian elegance. Although this was obvious for the Thesis saloon launched in 2002, it was a real gamble for Lancia's marketing department to adapt the brand image to a small MPV that was a clone of the Fiat Idea! The latter is more popular, while the Musa is more 'bourgeois chic', with the ambition of positioning itself as a model that could serve as a stepping stone towards the brand's top of the range. To achieve this, Lancia's styling department designed a more sculpted body with a front end that resembles that of the Ypsilon. The rear of the car is very stretched, with a more curved tailgate.

All of this is dressed in chrome and offers an elegance that will appeal to female customers, soon to account for almost 70% of sales. The Musa has two levels of finishing: Oro and Platino. In terms of mechanical features, the Musa uses the Fiat Group's tried and tested engines: two four-cylinder Multijet diesels with 1.9 litres (100 bhp) and 1.3 Litres (70 bhp), and a four-cylinder petrol engine with 1.4 Litres (95 bhp). The latter two units can be fitted with the optional DFS (Dolce Farniente System) robotised sequential gearbox.

A RESTYLING IN 2007 

The Lancia Musa Phase 2 made its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2007 and went on sale in France on 25 October. It was a preview of some of the styling solutions that were to appear on the new Delta to be launched the following year, with even more chrome. In response to customer complaints, the tailgate was modified in order to increase boot space by 5 cm.

The interior upholstery is available in two new colours: navy and chocolate, while the bodywork is still available in four two-tone colour schemes. A 77 bhp 1.4-litre version now completes the range of petrol engines, while the diesel range has been strengthened by a 90 bhp 1.3-litre version. In total, 207,458 Musas of all versions were produced at Fiat's Turin plant between June 2004 and July 2012. The Musa will not be replaced in this segment of Lancia's range, as the company gradually consolidates its catalogue around the Ypsilon city car.