Alpine e-sports car could be built by Lotus

With the A110, the company is relying on cooperation with Lotus and thus wants to get appropriate support outside its alliance.

Renault's sports car brand Alpine wants e-mobility. Not in small, measured steps, but quickly. Just as you would expect from the sporty brand. The first three electric sports cars will play an important role: a compact car, a GT X-Over and a new version of the A110 - by 2026. The last-named electric car is to result from cooperation with Lotus and will probably also be built by them.

Alpine's reinvention will thus begin in 2024 with a sporty reworking of the Renault 5 remake, followed by an electric A110 successor and a larger tourer in crossover format. Alpine is currently developing the next-generation A110, a two-seater sports car, with Lotus using a bespoke platform. A third model is a jacked-up Gran Tourismo, which will be based on the CMF EV platform of the Renault-Nissan alliance and will meet rivals in its segments such as the Audi e-Tron GT or the new all-electric Porsche Macan.

At times, the collaboration has been limited to the development of the car, although other thoughts are now emerging. Renault is considering transferring its manufacturing production of the Alpine sports car brand to Lotus in the UK. Renault boss Luca de Meo has now mentioned this possibility to journalists. This could create manufacturing capacity at the company's site for a possible new project. However, no decision has been made yet.

At least for the future Alpine models, De Meo has clear ideas: "They should be a kind of mixture between a Mini Ferrari and a Mini Tesla. Renault's sports car brand is to move away from small cars in the direction of the medium and luxury classes, not least because of the expectation of better margins. Once again, Formula 1 is expected to help, with the hope of a transfer of knowledge.