8:00 am, December 8, 2025
The speed at which Chinese manufacturers are developing their cars represents a ‘fantastic catalyst’ for European brands.
That is the verdict of Alpine CEO Philippe Krief, who says that increased competition from challenger brands is forcing European firms to ‘accelerate in terms of development time’.
Speaking to Car Dealer at the European launch of Alpine’s new A390 in Malaga, Spain, Krief said that traditional carmakers can learn from the speed of their new rivals.
He said: ‘They are very, very fast in terms of technology and the introduction of innovation.
‘We need to learn from them the speed, but to keep a global vision of the car.’
Despite his admiration for the Chinese challengers, Krief says that a history like Alpine’s can help the brand to stay ahead of the competition.
He added: ‘A very big advantage that nobody is talking about with respect to Chinese manufacturers is the fact that we’ve [built] cars for the last one-hundred-and-something years.
‘The way we integrate things and the way we optimise the single millimetre, the single kilo, is something quite unique.’
Going forward, the former director of engineering and product performance at Alpine said that the brand would be exploring hybrid options for its cars.
He said that the approach ‘could give us some opportunity’ but promised that it would not get in the way of the brand’s continued commitment to EVs.
Despite this, the 60-year-old did admit that EVs remain a difficult challenge – especially when it comes to price – and that growth in the sector has been slower than many within Alpine had expected.
He added: ‘We thought that the EV growth would be faster than what it is, but there’s still some growth.
‘I think that the most challenging stuff for EVs is the cost of the car. It’s not autonomous, or the range, but the cost.
‘Once we reach the same cost price for the customer between EV and ICE or plug-in hybrid, you will go.’
Alpine is currently working on a replacement for its A110 sports car which will be available with electric, petrol and hybrid setups in order to offer something for all buyers – or ‘package protected’ as Krief refers to it.
‘We asked ourselves if we could package protect for a new technology platform,’ he explained.
‘But more than that, the most important things was to be package protected without having any impact on the EV version.
‘I really want to do the best possible sports car in EV.’
