2025 Lancia Ypsilon EV Gives New Meaning To Leaked After Possibly Stolen Prototype Plunges Into A Canal

We all have bad days at work, but the Lancia team at Stellantis’ plant in Sochaux, France, had a really, really tough one today. That’s because not only have photos of one of their test vehicles leaked, ironically, the car was also completely submerged.

The vehicle in question is the upcoming 2025 Lancia Ypsilon (though it may be marketed as a 2024 model in Europe). While we’ve seen it testing before, it has always been covered by a bunch of camouflage. Now, thanks to an unfortunate joyride that ended in a canal, we get to see a whole lot more of it.

Authorities were first alerted to troubles at around 7:30 a.m. local time this morning, when firefighters in the Montbeliard region were called to rescue a car whose roof could be seen poking out of the water, reports the Est Republicain. They quickly rounded up some divers, in an effort to find the people involved in this incident. Fortunately, they found no one in the car or near it.

Read: 2025 Lancia Ypsilon EV Is A Reskinned Opel Corsa With A Tea-Tray For A Center Console

Authorities then called a tow company to get the car out of the water. Few on the scene likely realized that by doing that, they would be revealing Lancia trade secrets. However, as the car was pulled out of the canal, it became clear that this was a pre-production Ypsilon, which is set to debut in February 2024.

Although the shots that were taken by French photographer Lionel Vadam aren’t quite as detailed as we’re used to from our spy photographers (this was, after all, a rescue mission), they are still revealing. We can see that windows are surrounded by black cladding, like the wheel arches, and that it will have round, Pu+Ra concept-inspired taillights that are also surrounded by dark material.

The bulbous, hatchback shape is reminiscent of camouflaged Ypsilons we’ve seen testing before, and more or less as expected. Based on the e-CMP platform, the Ypsilon is expected to get a single 154 hp (115 kW/156 PS) motor powered by a 51 kWh battery pack, that could give drivers around 248 miles (400 km) of range.

As to how this example came to find itself underwater, the answer is unclear. However, the Est Republicain reports that the vehicle was stolen. Unfortunately, it offers no further details about how that happened. We’ll keep an eye out for more information as it becomes available.