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Renault's Alpine Brand Developing Two EV Crossovers for U.S. Market
Alpine, which was revived by Renault in 2017, is aiming to launch a pair of electric crossovers in the United States in 2027 or 2028. (Pictured above is the Alpine Alpenglow concept from the 2022 Paris auto show.)
CEO Laurent Rossi compared the crossovers to the Porsche Macan and Cayenne Coupe, and said that they will be a significant part of Alpine's goals of reaching 150,000 sales by 2030.
Alpine is also launching three cars in the coming years for Europe, including an electric version of the A110 sports car and a performance variant of the upcoming electric Renault 5 hatch.
Alpine was founded in 1955 and rose to prominence in the 1970s after being acquired by Renault, scooping up rally victories with its A110 sports car and triumphing at Le Mans in 1978. Renault revived the brand, now part of Groupe Renault, in 2017 with a new lightweight A110. The nimble sports car has remained forbidden fruit in the United States, but now it appears that Alpine may be coming to the U.S. within the decade. According to a report today by Automotive News, CEO Laurent Rossi revealed in a recent call that two new models are being developed with the American market in mind.
Unfortunately, the future U.S.-bound Alpines do not include a low-slung sports car. Instead, they will be a mid-size electric crossover and a larger EV SUV, targeted for 2027 or 2028. Rossi explained that "the U.S. is the main destination for these cars" and compared the crossovers to the Porsche Macan and Cayenne coupe in terms of how they are positioned in the market.
Rossi said he sees the U.S. as crucial for boosting Alpine's volume. Right now Alpine only sells the A110, with 3,546 total sales in 2022. The goal is to surpass 150,000 annual sales by 2030, and Rossi said that entering the U.S. market "will create the bulk of the extra volume." He said Alpine is still debating what platforms the EV crossovers will ride on; along with Renault's partner Nissan, the company is considering using platforms from Geely's premium brands, which include Volvo, Polestar, and Zeek.
Before those Alpines reach U.S. shores, the French automaker will debut three exciting EVs for the Europe market. First will be a performance version of the upcoming Renault 5 electric hatchback. This will be followed by a sporty compact crossover, currently referred to as the GT, which will bring torque vectoring, more powerful motors, and unique battery chemistry to differentiate it from more mainstream Renaults. Finally, an electric successor to the A110 is coming by 2027, developed in collaboration with Lotus.
It will still be several years before Alpine's American expansion begins, and promises to return to the U.S. by other French carmakers have yet to materialize. But if Alpine meets its 2027 timeline, it will mark the the first time since the early 1990s that Renault will have a presence in the United States. And even if the dynamic A110 never reaches our shores, we are still excited to see what Alpine can deliver at the tail end of the 2020s.
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