Renault’s electric performance car brand Alpine has named its new SUV and sports car, ahead of their launches – alongside a pint-sized hot hatch – by 2026.
French brand Alpine – the revitalised electric performance offshoot of mainstream brand Renault, and the successor to Renault Sport – has outlined new details of its future, confirming names for two of its three new models.
As reported last year, Alpine (pronounced al-peen) will be reinvented under new Renault CEO Luca de Meo as an electric performance brand, offering three new models: a Ford Fiesta ST-sized hot hatch, Porsche Macan-sized mid-size coupe SUV, and a two-door sports car co-developed with the UK’s Lotus.
Alpine has now confirmed its new SUV could wear the GT X-Over name – with X-Over likely translating to crossover (an alternate term to describe an SUV), suggesting this badge may be provisional and won’t reach showrooms – and will launch in 2024 or 2025.
Meanwhile, the brand’s upcoming sports car will carry on the A110 nameplate currently applied to Alpine’s sole 2022 production car – with roots dating back to the iconic 1960s coupe of the same name, for which the company is known.
Alpine is yet to confirm the name for its new hot hatch, however it’s all but confirmed it will be a version of the upcoming Renault 5 electric reboot – with quotes from Renault executives pointing to a simple but effective ‘Renault 5 Alpine’ nameplate.
The new GT X-Over will be produced in the same Dieppe, France factory as today’s petrol-powered A110 sports car – and formerly home to the Clio RS hot hatch – which will be renamed Manufacture Alpine Dieppe Jean Rédélé, honouring the founder of Alpine in 1955, prior to Renault ownership.
Underpinned by the Renault group’s CMF-EV platform, Renault engineering boss Gilles Le Borgne has previously confirmed the new SUV will be powered by a 160kW electric motor on the front axle, paired with “a big surprise” driving the rear wheels, likely a second electric motor.
“For the CMF-EV platform we will keep the 215bhp [160kW] e-motor in the front, and in the rear we will have a big surprise. We want to do torque vectoring, have really amazing handling and performance – as you can imagine for an Alpine. We are working on that,” the executive said.
The new Alpine SUV’s twin under the skin, the Nissan Ariya, develops 290kW and 600Nm in range-topping, dual-motor, 87kWh Performance guise, good for a 0-100km/h time of 5.1 seconds.
It’s not clear whether this system leverages the aforementioned 160kW electric motor, or whether the Alpine will offer more power and torque. It’s also worth noting that so far, the 160kW motor has only been paired with the Ariya’s smaller 63kWh battery, rather than the larger 87kWh pack.
Teaser images released by the car maker show the new Alpine GT X-Over will adopt a coupe SUV profile similar to the upcoming electric Porsche Macan or Volkswagen ID.5, with dimensions similar to these mid-size SUV models.
Alpine says it plans for the GT X-Over to offer “features and equipment like no other on the segment” – but didn’t go into detail about what these would be.
The entire Alpine electric range – comprising the R5 Alpine hot hatch, GT X-Over SUV and A110 sports car – is slated to launch between 2024 and 2026, with the SUV due “by 2025”.
Stay tuned to Drive for all the latest updates.
The post Alpine GT X-Over electric SUV due by 2025, next A110 to go electric appeared first on Drive.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar