First look at Alpine A110 EV due next year

Alpine has released the first preview image of the next-generation A110, due next year. 

The new car – which will replace the current model's petrol engine with a battery-electric drivetrain – appears to have a similar cab-forward design, but swaps circular daytime-running lights for a new hexagonal motif. 

Little else can be drawn from the image of the car under wraps, but it is possible that it features a small ducktail rear spoiler for aerodynamic purposes. Indeed, efficiency will almost certainly become a key directive with the swap to electric power.

The new car will also be lighter than its combustion-engined rivals, despite the switch to EV.

Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo previously told Autocar that the company had made a “not rational” decision to “invest a lot of money” in a bespoke electric sports car platform for the next A110 and its derivatives – including a likely 2+2 version called the A310 – but it had “looked at Porsche for inspiration” in how to successfully build a sports brand.

“Porsche has the 911 [platform] as their own, and then they use others [VW Group architectures] for the likes of the Taycan and Cayenne. You keep the heart then as very true to the brand,” he said.

To that end, the Alpine sports car platform will be uncompromising in its purpose to root the French brand in performance models, which then lends credibility to its more lifestyle-focused mainstream models, such as the new A390 SUV.

“The next A110 will be lighter than a comparable car with a combustion engine but with no compromise in performance,” said de Meo.

He added that making the bespoke architecture was objectively “a completely stupid decision” due to the likely return on investment in pure sales terms. A planned tie-up with Lotus on the architecture fell through but Alpine places such importance on bona fide sports cars that it has continued development by itself. 

Alpine has experimented with lightweight electric models previously, such as with the A110 E-ternité concept, an electric conversion of the current A110 that just undercut the Porsche 718 Boxster at 1400kg.