Alpine will enter the United States in 2027 with a fully electric lineup, the French performance marque announced on Monday.
Alpine was founded in 1955 by Jean Rédélé as a motorsports company that later launched its own sports cars using components from Renault. It became a part of Renault in 1973 and continued to launch its own sports cars with a focus on the European market.
Alpine was made a standalone business in 2021, the year it replaced Renault in Formula 1. Alpine will lean on its F1 exposure ahead of expanding to the U.S. and possibly China, two markets where F1’s popularity is growing strongly. Alpine also competes in the World Endurance Championship, where beginning next year it will field an LMDh race car in the premier Hypercar class.
Alpine said on Monday it is working with investment firm RedBird and dealer group AutoNation on its global expansion. Renault CEO Luca de Meo in February said Alpine could partner with AutoNation to sell cars in the U.S. In other markets, it will rely on Renault’s dealer network.
On the racing side, RedBird, together with Otro Capital and Ryan Reynolds-backed Maximum Effort Investments, will invest 200 million euros (approximately $218 million) to purchase a 24% stake in the Alpine F1 team. The deal will value the team at around $900 million, Alpine said.
Alpine’s sole road-going car at present is the A110, a mid-engine sports car launched in 2017 and whose sales total just a few thousand units annually. For its entry in the U.S., Alpine is readying two vehicles targeting the market, which are thought to be SUVs in the same segments as the Porsche Cayenne and Macan. Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi said earlier this year that platforms for these models may be sourced from another company. He pointed to Zhejiang Geely as being a natural fit, as the Chinese auto giant is already working with Renault on several joint projects.
Alpine is also developing its own platform and other proprietary technologies for its future sports cars. Known as the Alpine Performance Platform (APP), the electric sports car platform will underpin a redesigned A110 to be offered in coupe and convertible body styles. It will also underpin a four-seat coupe to be called the A310. Previously, Alpine planned to work with Lotus on its sports car platform.
Also in the pipeline is a compact crossover and an A290 subcompact hot hatch, both of which will use platforms from the Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance. The A290 was previewed with a concept car in May and is confirmed to start sales in 2024 as the first of Alpine’s new EVs. The compact crossover will follow in 2025 and the redesigned A110 in 2026. The first of the U.S. models will arrive in 2027, with the second likely to follow around 2028. Timing for the A310 wasn’t mentioned.
In addition to EV technology, Alpine is investigating the use of internal-combustion engines fueled by hydrogen. The technology, which eliminates carbon emissions, was previewed by Alpine with its 2022 Alpenglow concept.
“Our goal is to expand from a niche segment brand to a fully fledged global brand,” Rossi said in a statement. “By combining a larger range with international expansion, we target an operating margin over 10% by 2030, and thereby put our business model on a permanent footing.”
This article was originally published by Motor Authority, an editorial partner of ClassicCars.com
Source: www.classiccars.com