2023-05-11 07:00:00
So far, Renault’s sporty brand Alpine had only one model in its range, the A110. But the French want to expand their program next year. The concept study A290_ß now gives a first foretaste of the future of the sports car brand. At the same time, the show car is already providing concrete indications of the series model coming at the end of 2024: around 85 percent of the outer skin, which is equipped with wide wheel arches, should already correspond to the series model.
The interior, with the driver’s seat in the middle and two seats to the left and right, together with a minimalist cockpit, is reserved for the show car. The basis for the A290_ß is the new edition of the purely battery-electric Renault 5, which will also debut next summer. Therefore, the A290_ß is also a Stromer, albeit a very sporty one. Two electric motors on the front axle should provide the small Alpine racer with plenty of power and maximum driving pleasure. However, the French are still silent about the performance, battery capacity or range of their hot Stromers. That’s still much too early, say Alpine’s development engineers, referring to the start of series production.
But the French are not only breaking with tradition with the electric drive, but also with the name. Instead of simply calling the cute racer the R 5 Alpine, as in the past, the first all-electric car from the sports car brand is now called the A290. The attached beta, the second letter from the Greek alphabet, stands for the development phase only for the show car. The meaning of the model designation: the two stands for the vehicle class, the 90 for lifestyle, while the number ten in the A110 will in future identify Alpine sports cars. Unlike the 4.06 meter long show car, the brand’s first electric sports offshoot will not roll into the showrooms as a three-door model, but – just like the new edition of the iconic R 5 – with five doors. However, the 20-inch aluminum wheels with a blue background already correspond to the standard version.
The French made an unusually high effort for the chassis for the small car class. Instead of a mundane torsion beam axle, the Alpine has a complex multi-link rear axle on the rear axle. For a sporty performance, the driver has three different driving modes with Wet, Dry and Full.
However, the racing ABS with eleven-stage adjustment built into the concept study will not make it into the production model. But there is an overtake button directly on the steering wheel. When it is actuated, the Alpine’s two electric motors develop their maximum power for fast overtaking manoeuvres.
In addition to the upcoming A290, the French will also bring two more sports cars onto the market. An electric GT crossover in the compact segment has been announced for 2025, and the next generation of the A110 is expected for 2027. When it comes to the most legendary model in the history of the brand, it also means rethinking: Instead of having a combustion engine, the upcoming A110 will also only run on electricity. (cen/gb)
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