Alpine reveals stocky new show car

It’s been a while since we saw a new model from Alpine, but the brand has revealed a new show car that is due to be launched in 2024.

Displayed in Bristol, UK – at the site where Concorde was built no less – the sporty hatchback is fully electric and bears close resemblance to the Renault 5 concept we saw in 2021. In fact, it is perhaps an even closer comparison to the Renault 5 Turbo than that aforementioned concept in many areas. Whether that was intentional or not, we are not sure.

Overtly flared wheel arches and side air intakes are totally on brand for Alpine, but squint and you might see a Renault Clio V6. This is a compliment, might we add, and understandable considering Alpine is in fact a division of Renault Group. While the team at Alpine does not namedrop either the Clio V6 or the 5 Turbo, CEO Laurent Rossi did note that the A290 Beta is “a modern reinterpretation of the hot hatch.”

Far removed from its predecessor, the two-seater A110 coupe, the A290 Beta is more upright, stocky and carries a kind of Scalextric aesthetic. This was only underlined at the event: Driven around a go-kart track by a driver in full racing gear, the intention was clearly to showcase how electric Alpines will remain driver-focussed and just as sporty. And with a dash-mounted lever deployed for various handbrake turns, there is a clear nod to Alpine’s rally heritage. (On camera the drive seemed somewhat leisurely, but we’ll assume it was more engaging behind the wheel.)

Antony Villain, design director at Alpine, highlighted the “athletic proportions” of the car, with “the right stance, the right kind of track, short overhangs and 20-inch wheels. It brings us a step closer to the extension of the Alpine line-up.” He also combats the idea that Renault design cues are evident: “The A290 beta is an Alpine in every sense of the word, in terms of its overall shape and form.”

Compared to the A110, the B290’s light signature is also very different, more square and less round. It still has that retro feel thanks to the dual fog lights up front, which are not integrated and instead mounted like they might on a Group B rally car. This was exactly the idea, with the four ‘X’ marks on the headlights a nod to the scotch tape used on rally car lights. Elsewhere, the white paint and triangular motifs on the exterior are inspired by the Alps, while also aiming to give the appearance of street graffiti – bringing the mountains to the city, as Villain puts it.

Speaking to Car Design News in 2019, Villain explained that the brand was still finding its feet since the reboot and was not yet leaning on its heritage. ”When we started the A110 project, we were, of course, aware of Alpine as car enthusiasts, but fortunately we were too young to indulge in nostalgia,” he said. That has clearly changed, with the team openly embracing its racing roots.

Over the next three years Alpine plans to launch three new cars, with the A290 the first to come, followed by the A110’s successor and eventually a larger segment car. “The A290 will have a big task on its shoulders to perpetuate the racing legacy of Alpine,” noted Rossi.