Former Aston Martin, Tesla Exec Is Alpine’s New Chief

Michael van der Sande will be the new chief of the resurrected French sports car brand, taking up the role on March 1.

The former Aston Martin and Tesla executive will lead Alpine in its re-introduction with the world after working as Renault’s head of marketing.

“As of March 1st 2016, Michael van der Sande, SVP, Global Marketing, is appointed Managing Director of Alpine. He reports directly to Thierry Koskas, EVP, Sales and Marketing,” said Renault in their statement.

The Dutch national has 25 years of experience working for brands like Harley Davidson, Tesla and Aston Martin.

Alpine has just revealed the Vision concept which is a very thinly disguised version of the final production model they plan to launch against the likes of Porsche Cayman and Alfa Romeo 4C.

The lightweight sports car is expected to tip the scales at just over 1100kg, likely getting powered by a new turbocharged 1.8-litre engine developed out of the 197hp 1.6-litre turbo unit of the Clio RS. A double-clutch transmission is almost a certainty.

This is the first new Alpine model since 1995, with the brand planning more models down the line. Let’s just hope they get the recipe right.