Renault wants to transform its Alpine performance brand from a carmaking minnow with one niche model line to France’s answer to Porsche, and we’ll get our first look at the firm’s future lineup on May 9.
That’s when Alpine will unveil the A290_β, a concept version of the production electric hot hatch coming to European showrooms next year. The most affordable of at least three distinct models Alpine will roll out over the next few years, the A290_β is based on the upcoming Renault 5 electric hatch, but gains a stack of extra power, plus stying and chassis upgrades to justify the Alpine badge.
Alpine announced the date of the reveal together with a teaser shot showing the badge on the rear of the new car. And while Alpine hasn’t given anything away in terms of technical specification, it has at least explained how to decipher the name, and hinted that the naming philosophy will be applied to the electric sports car and four-door coupe-crossover, dubbed GT X-Over, that will follow.
Related: Renault’s Alpine Sports Car Brand Is Working On Two Electric SUVs For The USA
The ‘2’ in the badge denotes that this is the smallest car in the range, while the ’90’ apparently describes that the hot hatch is a “multi-purpose” sports vehicle. Alpine says pure sports vehicles, such as the replacement for the current A110, will continue to feature the number “10” in their names. And finally, the “β” or “beta” tag makes clear that we’ll be meeting a concept version of the hot hatch on May 9, rather than the finished article.
The production A290 is expected to hit the road in 2024 and be powered by a single 215 hp (160 kW / 218 PS) electric motor lifted from the Renault Megane E-Tech Electric. That motor produces 221 lb-ft (300 Nm) of torque in the Megane and should be able to hustle the Alpine to 60 mph (96 km/h) in less than 7 seconds.
Alpine is unlikely to offer the A290 in North America, but it does plan to break into the market with two electric crossovers, one mid-size and one large, starting as early as 2027.
