The next-generation Alpine A110 will continue to play a crucial role in the French performance brand’s lineup, with the French car maker readying an electric variant.
The fan-favourite two-seat coupé – which received a minor update earlier this year – will make the switch to an electric powertrain for its third generation, lining it up as a rival to similarly conceived sports cars from Lotus, Porsche and Toyota.
By the time the new A110 arrives, most likely in 2026, Alpine’s line-up will also include an electric crossover and an electric hot hatchback.
While those more volume-friendly models will be crucial to Alpine increasing its global footprint, company CEO Laurent Rossi is adamant that the A110 will continue to play a core role as a halo car and as an embodiment of the brand’s sporting credentials.
“Alpine is going to be sports cars, no matter what. That’s the central value proposition,” said Rossi. “It’s ‘born from racing, made by racers for racers at heart’. You need to have at least one sports car to justify that, otherwise it’s a false claim. There will always be at least one sports car, and that’s like an undertone.”
Alpine has so far said little about what to expect of the reinvented A110. Rossi did suggest, however, that it could be a near-bespoke proposition, far removed technically from the Renault-based Alpine GT X-Over crossover and Alpine 5 hot hatchback alongside which it will be sold.
“We hope to preserve the A110 DNA, and it might be quite different from the rest of the cars, despite platform-sharing,” said Rossi. “There’s nothing more similar than two electric cars nowadays: same platforms, same electric power, distributed to all wheels if you’re lucky, and it’s pretty much a matter of fine-tuning the output of the motors.