Alpine Teases Next A110’s Design, But It’s What’s Underneath That Will Make Or Break It

Beautiful cars are sometimes likened to sculptures, but French sports car brand Alpine’s latest concept really is a sculpture. The full scale exhibit previews the look of next year’s new Alpine A110 and will be the focal point of the brand’s Paris Motor Show stand this October.

The sculpture reveals the design of the 2028 A110 without revealing too much, if that makes sense. It’s as if someone has dropped a silk sheet over the coupe’s bodywork, then pulled the air out from underneath it. What you see is the shape and contours of the aluminium skin and a hint at some of the details, while still leaving some mystery.

Related: Americans Might Force Alpine To Put Gas Back In Its New Electric Sports Car

Alpine says the tension visible in the blue veil is meant to look like it was caught by the wind, a nod to lightness and aerodynamics. It even claims one of the big inspirations was Concorde, the supersonic passenger jet co-created by Britain and Frances.

But that doesn’t mean Alpine has junked everything we loved about the outgoing A110, itself heavily inspired by the classic 1960s original. The V-shaped nose and dual light setup are still there, and though the sculpture tells us the new car will be leaner and possibly lower and longer, you’re not going to mistake it for anything else.

Design Evolution, Powertrain Revolution

Unless you’ve got your eyes closed when one drives past, in which case you might assume it was a runaway washing machine. Because the A110 is going electric. At the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July Alpine demo’d the new hardware in stretched version of the current A110 (below) called the A110 Future. That hardware includes a dual-motor rear axle with active torque vectoring and clever wheel-slip control. Today’s A110 is lauded for its agility, but the EV is shaping up to be even more mobile.

It’ll also have an unusual battery arrangement. Instead of having one massive battery under the floor of the APP platform, the new A110 will have two smaller batteries placed at each end of the chassis. That keeps the floorpan low and the driving position and roof, too. It will also help Alpine achieve a 40:60 front to rear weight distribution. An 800-volt electric system will ensure fast charging, though the exact speed and range figures are still secret. As is the weight, which is expected to balloon by 660 lbs (300 kg).

Electric First, Possible ICE Option Later

Also secret are Alpine’s intentions when it comes to combustion power. The A110 was conceived as an EV when it looked like electric cars were set to make gas ones a minority in short order. But while EV sales continue to grow in Europe, where they now account for one in four new cars, enthusiast buyers have signalled their preference for petrol engines. And it sounds like Alpine is listening.

“Before you ask, yes the platform is designed to accommodate an internal combustion engine,” Alpine’s CEO Philippe Krief told British magazine Autocar in March. At Goodwood, four months later, he said a decision over whether to make a petrol model will be made by the end of 2026. If it gets the green light it could take around two years to reach production.

Could Come To America

Although Krief gave no indication of which ICE motor might find its way into the A110’s chassis, there is one obvious source. Horse Powertrain, the company created by Alpine’s parent company Renault and China’s Geely, has developed multiple hybrid engines, one of which is good for 349 hp (354 PS) and 380 lb-ft (515 Nm).

A combustion engine option would be essential if Alpine ever wanted to bring the A110 to the US – where the current car was never available, and where EV sales are very weak. Expansion to America was previously baked into Alpine’s growth plans, but they were put on hold in 2025, in part due to the introduction of tariffs by President Trump. But Krief revealed this summer that the A110 was being put through US crash tests.

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