There are only about 40 or so dealerships representing Lancia's sister Fiat Group brand right now but more are planned.

A Lancia spokesman said that the brand is only seeking small 'incremental sales' for the UK at first, so those appointed should be well able to cope with the extra interest created by the new marque.

The product that will kick-start the upmarket Fiat Group brand's return to the UK in late 2008 is a new large hatchback-cum-estate called 'Delta'. The car is named after the rally-bred hot hatch of the 1980s and early 90s. The new Delta HPE (standing for High Performance Estate) will be launched in continental Europe next May, with right-hand drive versions due in the UK by October.

The car is loosely based on the Fiat Bravo floor pan but bigger – it has similar proportions to a Vauxhall Astra estate (4.5m long, 1.8m wide and 1.5m high). It will be the beachhead model to re-establish Lancia in the UK after what will be a 14-year absence due to previous problems with poor reliability and a reputation for excessive rust. It last sold in the UK in 1994.

The production car should stay true to the Delta HPE concept unveiled at the 2006 Paris motorshow featuring a large, sporty five-door hatchback profile and Volvo C30-esque smoked glass rear window. With a long 2.7m wheelbase, Lancia said interior space would be ample and the car would be kitted out in a more luxurious way than workaday Fiats, with five flexible seats that split-fold and recline in the back. Other right-hand drive Lancias will follow.

First will be the next generation Ypsilon, essentially a luxury supermini and easily Lancia's best selling model in continental Europe. The new car will be based on the Grande Punto rather than the current model's Punto roots. Other models to arrive after that could include the next-generation Musa (a Fiat Idea-derived supermini-MPV). Expect prices for the Delta HPE to start at the top end of the Fiat Bravo range, from about £15,000.