► Alpine’s ambitious EV transformation plan
► A hot hatch, SUVs and an A110 EV replacement
► Fancy new tech to mask the increased weight
Alpine’s a specialist manufacturer. For the last seven years, the only car it’s had in its line-up is the A110 – a retro reimagining of the rally-winning 1960–1970s sports car of the same name. But now, the brand has its sights set on expansion.
Unsurprisingly, given the state of current emissions legislation, that expansion will be largely centred on electric cars. Alpine has collaborated with its Renault overlords for cars such as the A290 hot hatchback and the A390 SUV. However, the firm’s engineers have also been quietly beavering away on a bespoke architecture called the Alpine Performance Platform, which will find its first home underneath the next-generation A110.
That’s a lot for a boutique European sports car manufacturer to take on, especially when you consider that Alpine still assembles its vehicles by hand in its Dieppe factory. To further complicate matters, there isn’t any space around the site for Alpine to expand into and allow for greater automation. So, it won’t exactly be easy.
But Anne-Catherine Basset, head of Alpine’s Dieppe plant, relishes the challenge. ‘Dieppe remains the cradle of the brand,’ she said. ‘But expansion cannot be here – the site can’t grow. When you cannot expand, you have to think of clever ways to use the space.’ She noted that in the year 2000 the plant produced a total of 25,000 Meganes and Espaces.
‘The transformation is a big challenge, but it means a big future for the plant. We’re aiming to be more efficient but also to go from one to two or three shifts. Producing EVs in Europe is a big challenge and we need to remain competitive [with lower-cost China]. We’re using the best of Renault production techniques, but there are some things only we do, for instance carbon fibre.’
Then there’s the issue of weight. Alpine has built its brand on two pillars – lightweight engineering and nimble handling, neither of which are compatible with EVs. But Sovany Ang, Alpine’s vice president for product performance, spelled out to us in early 2024 how this expansion into multiple EVs can maintain a credible connection with these values.
‘We’re going to roll out the dream garage, starting with the A290. All cars will be boosted with Alpine DNA. Alpine design is going to be outlandish, and we are deploying motorsport tech which allows us to deliver the Alpine driving experience, focused on the feel of being at one with the car.’
What new electric Alpine models are on the way?
A290
This one’s already on sale. It’s Alpine’s long-awaited return to the hot hatchback market which uses the Renault 5 as its base. It has a more powerful motor, revised suspension, retuned steering and some bespoke Alpine software.
Alpine’s vice-president for engineering, Roberto Bonetto, insists: ‘The bridge is agile driving pleasure. A110 is testimony to what we want to achieve. We have put all of our knowledge into the A290.’ Read our full Alpine A290 review to find out whether it’s worked.
A390
This is Alpine’s volume driver. The A390 a mid-sized coupe-SUV designed for fast families, although Alpine won’t admit it’s tried to corner the market. The brand calls it a ‘sport fastback.’ We’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions.
What’s important about the A390 is that it marks the launch of Alpine’s clever new torque vectoring technology, which the brand reckons can trick its drivers into believing this 2.1-tonne EV is much lighter than it is. The same tech will also feature Alpine’s next new car…
New-generation A110 EV
… the pure-electric replacement for the A110 sports car. This will break cover at the 2026 Paris Motor Show with a maximum driving range of 600km, superfast 800-volt charging tech and, in the words of Alpine’s CEO, Phillipe Krief, ‘a lot’ of power.
It’ll also tip the scales at just 1400kg thanks to a new sort of incredibly energy-dense battery cell chemistry. That’s an impressive feat in a world where most performance electric cars weigh two tonnes or more – and Alpine reckons that’s what’s going to give it the edge over its competitors.
It’ll be based on the Alpine Performance Platform and will feature the same torque vectoring technology as the A390, albeit with more powerful, more responsive rear motors. Plus, Krief confirmed that the platform can be adapted to accept a combustion engine, just in case Alpine’s customers act like Porsche’s and reject the new electric car as heresy.
A310
This is the return of Alpine’s 2+2 GT car – and it’s expected to arrive the year after the A110. Like its smaller sister, it’ll be based on the Alpine Performance Platform but will have a more spacious interior to make it better suited to grand touring. Its key rival will be the Porsche 911.
Alpine has also confirmed an ‘A110-based roadster’ as well as two more cars that will occupy the ‘D and E segments.’ At least one of them is expected to be another SUV, but Alpine has hinted that both might not be sold in Europe. The brand also has plans to expand into Korea, Japan and China.
Supercar
Alpine’s strategy is moving towards electric cars everywhere but at the top of its line-up. The supercar that’ll soon become the halo product of the Alpine’s range will be powered a V6 petrol-hybrid system developing 1000bhp. That’ll shunt the plucky little French brand into competition with the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini.
The supercar’s engine has been designed by the the remnants of Alpine’s F1 team, although it’ll also utilise some of the work the brand has already finalised for its EVs. Its front axle, for example, will use a similar sort of twin motor torque vectoring system we’ll see at the rear of the new Alpine A110.
Whether or not buyers are prepared to take a gamble on a small-volume passion project when they could have a more established SF90 or a Revuelto remains to be seen. At least the Alpine will be exclusive – and exclusivity in the car world tends to add justification.