Alpine is a brand that Renault brought back in 2017. In 2027 or 2028, they plan to sell two electric crossovers in the United States. The CEO, Laurent Rossi, likened the vehicles to the Porsche Macan and the Porsche Cayenne Coupe. They will be essential if Alpine wants to sell 150,000 cars by 2030. Alpine will also release three European cars over the next few years, including an electric version of the A110 sports car and a high-performance Renault 5. Alpine was started in 1955, and Renault bought it in the 1970s. In the 1970s, Alpine’s A110 sports car won rally races; in 1978, it won the Le Mans 24 Hours. Renault brought back the brand in 2017 with a new, lighter A110. The brand is now part of Groupe Renault. Even though the American market for fast sports cars has stayed closed, Alpine seems to be on its way in the next ten years. On a recent conference call, Laurent Rossi said that two new models are being made for the American market. There won’t be any low-slung sports cars among the Alpines going to America. Both will be on the market in 2027 or 2028. They will be a larger EV SUV and a mid-size E.V. crossover. Rossi says that the crossovers are in the same place on the market as the Porsche Macan and Cayenne coupe and that “the United States is the main market for these cars.” Rossi says that the United States is essential if Alpine wants to increase its output. Alpine is the only company that sells the A110 right now, and by 2022, it will have sold 3,546 of them. The company wants to sell more than 150,000 units annually by 2030, and Rossi thinks that expanding into the U.S. market will “produce the bulk of the extra volume.” He said that Alpine and Nissan, a partner of Renault, are considering using platforms from Geely’s high-end brands like Volvo, Polestar, and Zeek. Alpine still needs to decide. Before the Alpines come to the U.S., the French company that makes them will launch three attractive electric vehicles in Europe. The performance version will be the first version of the new Renault 5 electric hatchback to hit the market. The next Renault will be a sporty compact crossover called the G.T. It will be different from other Renaults because it will have torque vectoring, more powerful motors, and a different way of making batteries. With the help of Lotus, the A110 will finally be replaced by an electric car in 2027. Alpine won’t start selling cars in the U.S. for a few years, and other French automakers have broken their promises to come back. But if Alpine comes out in 2027 as planned, it will be the first time since the early 1990s that Renault won’t have a presence in the United States. Even if the sporty A110 never makes it to our shores, we can’t wait to see what Alpine offers at the end of the 2020s.
