New features and details of the Alpine SUV have emerged. New details are waiting for us in the model, which will be 100% electric. We shared these details and new photos for you.
Alpine was a historic French brand closely related to Renault (its owner since 1973) that disappeared in 1995 after forty years producing sports cars. The “French Porsche”, as many called it, was dormant for nearly two decades until 2012 when Renault announced its relaunch as an independent brand within the French group.
In 2017, the new Alpine A110 was presented to the public, a small aluminum sports car with a central engine, heir to the original A110 from the 60s and 70s that was so successful in the rallying world. The new car has fallen in love with the press around the world for its funny behavior, praised unanimously. This vehicle, rival to the Porsche 718 Cayman, had a very clear objective: to serve as a “halo model” for the brand to gain an image in the public eye.
The high initial demand for the A110 led Alpine to double its production at the Dieppe plant (Normandy, France), although its production rate has now been halved again following stabilization in demand. Even though A110 sales are heavily dependent on the French market, its image in the international media is impeccable: journalists are in love with it.
What will Alpine’s next steps be? Beyond continuing to develop the A110 family, which has just received the sportier A110 S, it seems that both the Norman brand and its parent Renault would be very interested in expanding their range with new models. Initially, Alpine planned to develop a sports SUV with gasoline and hybrid engines, but this project was canceled long ago.
Alpine SUV Platform
Instead, Alpine began work on a much more ambitious vehicle: the AS2 EV (AS1 is the code for the A110, so the AS2 would be the firm’s second model), a 100% electric sports SUV with a lightweight aluminum body. Initially, this vehicle would use the CMF-EV electric modular platform from the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance.
The use of this architecture would allow it, among other things, to enjoy Renault’s 4Control steering rear wheel system, which together with its aluminum bodywork and its low center of gravity (thanks to the batteries located in the underbody) would give it superlative agility. for a vehicle in its class (probably in the D-SUV segment).
Olivier Murguet, a senior executive at Renault, already confirmed at the time that the future of the Dieppe firm would go through electrification. Despite this, Muguet promised that the brand’s vehicles would continue to maintain their legendary lightness, as well as their excellent relationship between comfort and sportiness, one of the most praised aspects of the current A110.
«Electrification will be massive. We have to step up electrification. Alpine cannot escape. Look at Ferrari, even its latest model is a plug-in hybrid. Alpine customers are asking for more sportiness, but also more comfortable. This strategy is largely reminiscent of the one followed by Porsche, Alpine’s rival to beat.
However, sources within the Renault group have confirmed that the AS2 EV project has been frozen, as have other developments such as the Talisman ZE (apparently, Renault was studying that the second generation of its D-segment saloon was a 100% electric model to compete against the successful Tesla Model 3). What does this mean for Alpine?
Actually, at the moment there is no reason to be alarmed: most likely, Alpine and Renault have decided to be cautious and slightly delay the launch of the AS2 EV, as already happened at the time with the Twingo ZE, which will arrive next year. . The objective? Probably study competing models (in 2021 Porsche will launch the electric Macan), let the A110 continue to build a strong brand image, amortize the CMF-EV platform through more affordable vehicles from Renault and Nissan, and expand its dealer network. independent before the arrival of the electric SUV on the market.
