Alpine’s future will be 100% electric. Three new models are expected: a city car in 2024, a crossover in 2025 and a sports coupe in 2026. The latter, unlike the other models, will not be produced in France, but in Great Britain at Lotus.
Alpine is about to turn a new page in its history. The manufacturer, which returned to center stage in 2017 with a modern reinterpretation of its famous A110, will change eras from 2024: it will now only offer electric vehicles. Three models are announced, including one with plastic and a sportier temperament. It will be the last to point the end of its grille in 2026. A copy which unlike its counterparts will not be assembled in France. The argus explain why…
TO READ. Alpine. The Dieppe plant will assemble an electric GT crossover
The tricolor sports car produced in Great Britain
The historic factory in Dieppe (76), now dedicated to the production of the A110, will soon be reassigned to the assembly of the electric GT crossover. This adventurer version (code DZ110) will be produced from July 2025, after adaptation of the industrial tool.
Before him, it was the “zero emission” vitaminized city car who began her career. The Alpine A5, of its nickname, is expected from the end of 2024. A technical clone of the Renault 5, it will be assembled alongside its cousin on the lines of the Douai factory (59).
As for sports? The Renault Group no longer has the production capacity necessary to accommodate a new model, it should therefore seek its partner Lotus to ensure the manufacture of the replacement for the Berlinette. The French manufacturer has not made anything official yet, but it is only an open secret. The British firm should favor one of its Norlfolk sites in Great Britain (Hethel or Norwich) – dedicated to the manufacture of its sports cars – rather than its new site in China, where its top-of-the-range electric models* will come out. In 2021, Alpine delivered 2,659 vehicles worldwide (+74% compared to 2020).
TO READ. Lotus. Two SUVs, a sedan and a Chinese factory announced
An operation also intended to reduce costs
This partnership between Alpine and Lotus will therefore not only make it possible to offload the French factories, but also to share the production costs (in addition to those dedicated to R&D). For the record, in January 2021, the two brands agreed to develop – in the second half of the decade – a model which should take the form of a coupe. Athletes will notably share their platform. Like the future A110, the Type 135 project from Lotus will not be marketed before 2026.
According to information provided by the British firm, the descendant of the Elise, and its French competitor, will be able to benefit from one or two electric motors for an output of 350 kW (476 hp) or 650 kW (884 hp). Two battery capacities will also be offered. Let’s hope that the weight of the batteries does not weigh down the behavior of these models which share a common philosophy: “Light is right”.
*In addition to the Eletre SUV, Lotus will launch an E-segment four-door coupé (Type 133) in 2023 and a D-segment SUV (Type 134) in 2025.
