Lancia had established a reputation by building high quality cars of medium size, but in 1932 the company introduced its first small car, the Augusta.
The innovative Lambda had a unitary body but the following Dilambda, Artena and Astura all had a separate chassis. In designing the Augusta Lancia returned to the Lambda concept and made a unitary body shell that was a fully integrated part of the design. This time it was a closed model with an overall length of only 3.81 metres. The sliding-pillar front suspension and a narrow-V engine with overhead camshaft gave the Augusta the specifications of a true Lancia, but also in build quality, brakes, and performance it was on a level with the bigger models - probably even better because of its light construction. It is a fantastic car to drive and Tazio Nuvolari, perhaps the best racing driver ever, had an Augusta for private use.

In France the Augusta was built under license and sold as the Lancia Belna. Technically it is identical, but in detail it varies considerably because various parts were supplied by French manufacturers.