11:57 am, May 10, 2023
French sports car manufacturer Alpine has unveiled its hot hatch vision for the future – and it’s electric.
The Alpina A290 Beta concept has a three seat configuration – similar to the iconic McLaren F1 – with the driver sat centrally and the passengers stepped back either side.
Alpine – the sports car arm of Renault – says the concept showcases ‘a lot’ of what the future production model will look like when it arrives next year.
However, the three seat configuration will not make the final cut and will be ditched before production begins.
No prices for the electric hot hatch have been revealed but it is slated to go into production in 2024. There were also no range or performance figures given at the launch event last night in Bristol.
Laurent Rossi, Alpine CEO, said the A290 was ‘the first page of a new chapter’ at the unveiling.
He said the model is ‘starting something new for Alpine’ and that it will be ‘critical for the brand’.
Rossi also branded the new car as a ‘modern reinterpretation of the hot hatch’.
The model uses the same underpinnings as the upcoming Renault 5 electric car, which has gained a huge amount of interest since it was unveiled last year.
Alpine said their model will not use the same motor and battery configuration as the 5, though, instead borrowing the layout from the Megane E-Tech.
The Alpine concept car had two motors placed on each of the front wheels, but this will also be ditched when the car goes into production.
Our correspondent, Jack Evans, who was at the launch of the car last night in Bristol, said: ‘The Alpine’s body arches look fresh out of a rally car, don’t you think?
‘If you take a look at the front there are new ‘X’ shaped headlights that hark back to classic Alpine models and reflect a design theme which you’ll have seen on the A110 sports car.
‘I’ve been told they’ll be a feature on all future Alpine models, too. In the metal, they look great.
‘The inside of the Alpine might be pretty striking in its three-seater design, but this isn’t going to be a feature on the production car – something I would’ve liked to have seen make it into the road-going model.
‘The seats are made entirely from carbon fibre and you’ve got race-spec Sabelt harnesses too – though don’t expect these to feature in the cars on your forecourt!’
Alpine currently has just one model on sale – the A110 two seater sports car. So far this year the brand has sold just 107 cars to the end of April, up six cars on the same four months in 2022.
At the launch event, Rossi added: ‘The A290 is the first stage in Alpine’s new era, the first step towards the all-electric Dream Garage in 2024.
‘This urban show car has rewritten the playbook for electric hot hatches.
‘The A290 is tapping into its rich legacy and ushering Alpine into the future, with an everyday experience of the motor sports spirit that has inspired the brand since its inception.’
Production of the A290 starts next year. It has not been revealed yet when dealerships will be able to take orders.
