Alpine is a French sports car business that Renault owns. This week, Alpine showed off the A290 electric hot hatch. This ideal model, which will go into production the following year, has the same three-seat design as the McLaren F1, but the final model won’t. The A290 has fast torque-vectoring technology and two electric motors on the front wheels. The A290_ display car, shown this week, is the first of three vehicles that will shape Alpine’s future as it enters the American market. Alpine’s A290 is based on the electric Renault 5, which will go on sale in 2024 and is made by a company with ties to Renault. The concept car’s interior is strange, and the driver sits in the middle, like in the McLaren F1, but the outside is 85 percent ready for production. The small, square shape of the A290 is based on the Renault it replaces, but it looks like it went to the gym because the wheel arches stick out, and the bumpers are strong and have oversized air intakes. Even though the hot hatch is a few inches bigger than a Volkswagen GTI, it is 9.5 inches shorter at 159.4 inches. The front spoiler, side skirts, and back bumper are all forged carbon fiber. Alpine says this “makes the surface shine like freshly fallen snow,” which is different from how the body looks, which is like stone. The headlights and racing lights attached to the front of the car are in the shape of an X. This is similar to how early race cars had tape on their headlights to keep the glass from flying out onto the track if they crashed. The roof of the A290 is blacked out, and a line that starts blue and changes to fuchsia as it goes back across the top gives it a different look. The cooling vents in the back bumper let you see the battery fans, which are meant to look like the fans on powerful game PCs. The inside of the A290_ demonstration car is much more creative. It has three seats and a unique exposed structural component that makes up the dashboard and is meant to look like the front wing of an F1 car. The carbon-fiber bucket seats are held in place by Sable straps, and the driver’s seat is made of ultra lumen, also used on the dashboard and steering wheel. The dash and door panels are made of leather, which is good for the earth. Most of the tools are on the roof, and there aren’t many screens inside. However, there is a head-up display. Alpine thinks a unique headset would let the driver know about the track’s state and the flags used during a race. The production vehicle will likely not have three seats and at least one screen for entertainment. The A290’s steering wheel is shaped like a trapezoid and has a button called “overtake” that gives a 10-second boost of power. Also, controls on the steering wheel let you change the settings for the radio, the speed limits for the pit lane, and the ABS. The A290 will have three drive modes: wet, dry, and complete. This will let the two electric motors on the front of the car use all of their power, and the 11 degrees of ABS control will allow you to fine-tune the car’s handling. Alpine says that the button for passing will still be in the finished vehicle. Alpine could have told us more about what was happening below the surface. The A290 will have front-wheel drive and a “torque vectoring” feature, which lets power go to each wheel separately. The A110 sports car will have the same four-piston Brembo brakes and multilink back suspension as the A290. The A290 has 20-inch white metal wheels with odd, boxy shapes and blue accents. These wheels are wrapped with Michelin tires that were made just for it. Aside from the sporty Alpine A290 and the electric Renault 5, Alpine is also working on an electric SUV and a battery-powered version of the famous A110 coupe, both of which will go into production in 2024. Alpine also said earlier this year that it was making two electric cars for the U.S. market, which would come out in 2027. AutoNation and Alpine are said to be in talks about a retail relationship. The A290 hot hatch or the car after the A110 will not be sold in the United States.
