Although the manual transmission is a dying breed, there are still a handful of compact car manufacturers in the US who still court the enthusiast vote – think the Volkswagen Jetta GLI, Honda Civic Si, and Mazda3 hatchback. But when you look a little further afield, it's hard not to get envious of our friends across the pond, because European manufacturers still offer loads and loads of cheap, snappy little cars with DIY shifters. That list grows bigger by at least one with the latest debut from Lancia: the entry-level Ypsilon Turbo 100. Unfortunately, our odds of getting one in the US are probably zilch.Lancia Simpler And Quite Possibly Better The Turbo 100 is the cheapest member of the Ypsilon family, trading some of the efficiency of its mild-hybrid sibling in favor of the manual gearbox and a lower price tag. As its name suggests, the little five-door has 101 metric horsepower (or 99 American horses) courtesy of a teensy, turbocharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine. Thanks to the variable-geometry turbo, the motor kicks out a handy 151 pound-feet of torque at a low 1,750 rpm.LanciaThat grunt may not seem terribly impressive, but it's only down 10 horses compared to the mild-hybrid Ypsilon, and the Turbo 100 will likely weigh less than its sibling's 2,800-ish pounds. It's also good enough to scoot to 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) in 10.2 seconds – not lightning-fast but also more than capable of keeping up with freeway traffic. And with that torque number available so low in the rev range, we bet the Ypsilon Turbo 100 will be pretty nippy around town. It Pays To Be Cheap The most appealing thing about the new Lancia is probably its price. While the former base-model Ypsi was already pretty inexpensive, the manual is 3,000 euros cheaper, starting at 22,200 euros ($26,134 at current exchange rates). Before you go crying foul that a 100-hp subcompact costs more than 25 grand, bear in mind that all cars in Italy come with a 20 percent value-added tax. Without it, an Ypsilon Turbo 100 could cost around $20,000, roughly the same price as the similarly sized, similarly powerful (and now discontinued) Nissan Versa sedan.The little engine and near-Miata weight also make for some decent efficiency. Lancia estimates the Ypsilon Turbo 100 will consume between 5.2 and 5.4 liters per 100 km, or around 44.5 miles per gallon. Sounds like cheap fun to us.Lancia Cross Your Fingers For A High-Performance Version Lancia will offer the Ypsilon Turbo 100 in three trim levels: base, LX, and HF-Line. Go for the LX and you'll get aluminum wheels with a diamond-turned finish, added ambient lighting, USB-C charging in the rear, front and rear parking sensors, and front and rear camera views. The HF-Line swaps out some of the LX's luxury-oriented cosmetics for a sportier look. Both upgraded trims cost the same at 25,200 euros before options ($29,667 in freedom bucks).Notably absent from the lineup, however, is a full-fat HF model. The Lancia-signature performance trim, which reportedly stands for "High Fidelity," remains exclusive to the all-electric Ypsilon, where it comes with a healthy 276 horsepower routed directly to the front wheels. We'd love to see Lancia consider giving the non-electrified hatchback either a higher-pressure turbo for the three-cylinder or an upsized four-banger with around 150 hp (or more). Given the Ypsilon's teensy proportions – it's only 160.6 inches long overall, riding on a 100-inch wheelbase – that would be a pretty hilarious hot hatch.2026 Lancia Ypsilon Turbo 100 Exterior 6Dream as we might, however, no version of the Lancia Ypsilon is destined for North America. Parent company Stellantis has already put the kibosh on Peugeot and other Euro-centric marques from coming to the US, instead focusing its efforts on turning the Chrysler brand into a more premium, mass-market offering – a move that's yet to produce anything more meaningful than a meagerly facelifted version of a decade-old minivan. We'll continue to dream our Ypsilon-shaped dreams, however, and set a reminder to import one in 25 years.