As part of a wider restructuring strategy, Renault is set to replace the Alpine A110 with an electric sports car co-developed with Lotus.
We already know that Renault is keen to plaster the Alpine nameplate on anything performance-orientated going forward. This restructuring started with the Renault Sport F1 team namesake being replaced by Alpine.
We also know that when it comes to road cars, the famous Renault Sport badging will also be replaced and instead with Alpine. This looks likely to start with a reimagined Renault 5 hot-hatch that would come under the Alpine bannering. This car is penned to be fully-electric. The next piece of the puzzle comes in the form of a new partnership with none other than Lotus, with the two planning to co-develop a new electric sports car to replace the Alpine A110.
First look at the Alpine F1 car. This is an interim winter livery before the official look is revealed.
Laurent Rossie, CEO of Alpine, spoke on the collaboration: “The signing of this MoU with Lotus shows the lean and smart approach we’re implementing as part of the new Alpine brand strategy. Both brands have an amazing legacy and we are most excited to start this work together, from engineering tailored solutions to developing a next-generation EV sports car. This collaboration along with our transformation mark the beginning of a new era in which we’ll be taking the Alpine name and line-up to the future. We’re putting F1 at the heart of our business, leveraging our in-house expertise and best-in-class partners such as Lotus to inject our cars with leading-edge performance, technology and motorisation”.
Lotus CEO, Phil Popham, also commented on the new partnership: “Today’s announcement is the first step in what is set to be a hugely rewarding collaboration between our iconic brands. We are proud to be working with Groupe Renault in this collaboration – sharing Lotus’ technical expertise and abilities, and leveraging our long track record of successful collaborations. Our companies have much in common – from a pioneering pedigree in light-weighting, to championship-winning sportscars which perform as impressively on the road as they do in the motorsports arena. It is a natural fit in many ways and the co-development of an EV sportscar is hugely exciting for our companies, our fans and customers around the world. The joint-services element of our agreement will additionally make our engineering expertise available to those wishing to engage our innovations.”