As previewed a year ago, Alpine has produced its first electric car, the A290. The hot hatchback based on the Renault 5 will deliver “performance, agility and lightweight”, the three pillars of Alpine.
The A290 electric hot hatch aims to take Alpine in a new direction, offering greater daily usability. It is also the first step by the company towards a zero-emissions future.
Rivals to the 3990mm A290 include the Abarth 500e and the new Mini Cooper SE. Under the blue paintwork, the Alpine A290 is essentially a hotted-up version of the new Renault 5. It borrows a bigger electric motor from the Renault Megane E-Tech. Output is either 133kW or 162kW but in both the power rotates the front wheels. Alpine claims a sprint time of 6.4 seconds for the higher output variant, slightly quicker than its Mini rival but a second adrift of the 240kW Volkswagen ID.3 GTX.
The A290 mill draws from a 54kWh battery pack, for a range of 380km. Using a 100kW rapid charger, a 10-80 per cent rezip takes around half an hour.
Alpine has fettled the R5 chassis with new electric motor mounts, and uprated brakes and suspension. At just 1479kg it weighs around 200kg less than the Mini Cooper SE.
Styling features of the Alpine A290 include a wide stance, and 19-inch alloy wheels housing brake callipers borrowed from the Alpine A110. Front and rear bumpers are aggressive, while the rear doors are unique to the A290. An ‘X’ motif for the front lights rounds off the striking appearance.
Cabin architecture it shares with the Renault 5 but the centre console is new and the gear selector it gets from the Alpine A110. Leather and fabric upholstery options are available, all models coming with blue accents. Driving information and infotainment are handled by a pair of 10.25 and 10.1-inch screens. One adjusts the new ‘driving sound’ that plays through the cabin speakers.
Production is scheduled to begin midway through next year so full pricing and specification are awaited.
Alpine has also confirmed that a new A110 sports car and a “GT C-Crossover” will join its line-up soon, both also fully electric.
Will the A290 come here? The A110 did so your guess is as good as mine. It might depend on whether electric cars ever get their mojo back in New Zealand.
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