Alpine is using the opening of orders for the A390 GTS to do something unusual for a carmaker: instead of only explaining a complex chassis technology in a press release, it is putting it into Assetto Corsa.

The new electric fastback has been modeled for the simulator, with Alpine describing the powertrain settings and dynamic behavior as identical to those of the real car, while Pierre Gasly has been filmed demonstrating the system at Le Mans.

The technology Alpine wants people to feel is called Alpine Active Torque Vectoring. In plain language, it is a way of making an electric car turn by controlling wheel power, not just by steering the front tires or braking individual wheels.

Three electric motors

The A390 uses three electric motors: one at the front axle and two at the rear, with one rear motor dedicated to each rear wheel. That last detail matters.

In many cars, a differential mechanically divides torque between the left and right wheels. In many modern cars, stability systems trim the car’s line by braking one wheel. Alpine’s system can instead decide how much drive torque to apply to each rear wheel, from 0 to 100 percent, and do so in milliseconds.

For the driver, the promise is simple. When you accelerate through a bend, the car can send more torque to one rear wheel than the other to help the car rotate into the corner.

If one wheel is on a slippery patch, the system can reduce or rebalance torque to improve grip. If the car is beginning to feel nose-heavy or unwilling to turn, the software can use the rear axle to make it feel more agile.

Relevant in an EV

This is especially relevant in an EV. Batteries add weight, and a five-seat electric fastback cannot rely on the old Alpine A110 recipe of extreme lightness.

The A390 GTS has up to 470 hp, 824 Nm of torque, and a 0 to 100 km/h time of 3.9 seconds, but the more interesting number may be the three motors. Alpine is using electronics to create what it calls “perceived lightness”: the sensation that a heavy EV responds more naturally and more eagerly than its mass would suggest.

That does not mean Alpine has invented torque vectoring. The idea has existed for years, and EVs are particularly well-suited to it because electric motors can react very quickly.

Audi already used a three-motor layout with two rear motors on the e-tron S, Tesla’s Model S Plaid uses its two rear motors for lateral torque vectoring in Track Mode, and Rivian’s quad-motor system goes further by controlling torque at all four wheels.

Not a world’s first

So what makes the Alpine system special? Not that it is a world first, but Alpine is putting this kind of high-end EV chassis control at the center of a relatively compact European performance car, and then making it understandable through simulation.

Rivian uses four-motor control, in part, for extreme off-road precision. Tesla uses rear torque vectoring as part of a very high-performance track package. Audi showed how a tri-motor SUV could bring the old sport differential idea into the electric age. Alpine’s pitch is different: make a practical five-seater feel like a proper Alpine.

That is why the Assetto Corsa angle is more than marketing decoration. Torque vectoring is hard to sell in words because most drivers will not notice the software itself.

They will notice that the car turns in more sharply, feels more stable under power, needs fewer steering corrections, or inspires more confidence on wet or uneven roads. A simulator lets Alpine demonstrate that feeling before many people ever sit in the real car.

Sim racers

Alpine will release the A390 GTS as a free mod on Assetto World and OverTake GG, two community platforms used by sim racers to download extra cars, tracks, and other content for Assetto Corsa.

And Alpine will also install simulators at its stand during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. That opens the experience to gamers, Le Mans visitors, and potential customers who want to understand what makes the A390 GTS different.

For everyday drivers, the takeaway is this: active torque vectoring is not just another performance buzzword. Done well, it can make an EV safer, more responsive, and more enjoyable, especially as electric cars become heavier and more powerful.