Alpine’s electric expansion appears to be doing more than simply increasing volumes. Almost 80% of A290 buyers come from outside Renault Group’s existing customer portfolio, while the electric hot hatch now accounts for 70% of all Alpine sales.
Those two figures offer perhaps the clearest indication yet that Renault Group’s decision to turn Alpine from a niche sports-car maker into a broader electric performance brand is working.
Ahead of the Paris Motor Show in October, Alpine revealed that almost four out of five A290 customers were not previously part of Renault Group’s customer portfolio.
In other words, the compact EV is functioning primarily as a conquest model rather than simply persuading existing Renault customers to move upmarket.
That distinction matters. The A290 shares its basic AmpR Small architecture with the Renault 5 E-Tech Electric, but Alpine has given it substantially different chassis tuning, more powerful 180- and 220-hp drivetrains, and its own styling and interior treatment.
The question from the beginning was whether customers would regard it as sufficiently different to justify an Alpine badge and premium pricing or simply as an expensive sporting derivative of the Renault 5. The latest customer data suggests Alpine is finding an audience of its own.
From niche coupé to volume EV
The effect on Alpine’s volumes has already been dramatic. The brand sold 10,970 cars worldwide in 2025, up 139.2% from 2024 and the first time it has exceeded 10,000 units in its history. The A290 alone accounted for 8,198 registrations, or roughly three-quarters of total sales that year.
With the larger A390 now joining the range, that share has fallen slightly, but Alpine says the A290 still represents 70% of current sales and remains its best-selling model.
That effectively turns Alpine’s traditional business model on its head. Until the arrival of the A290, the company revolved almost entirely around the lightweight two-seat A110.
Its future volumes will increasingly come from electric cars using technology shared across the Renault Group, while Alpine attempts to differentiate them through performance, design, and a more exclusive positioning.
The 80% figure is therefore strategically more important than the A290’s absolute sales numbers. Shared technology only creates additional value for Renault Group if Alpine can reach customers that Renault itself would otherwise struggle to attract.
More exclusivity to keep them
Alpine is already trying to move those customers further upmarket. At the Paris Motor Show from 12 to 18 October, it will introduce a new A290 Collection version and extend the Atelier Alpine personalization program to both the A290 and A390.
The Collection will be available with both 180 and 220 hp powertrains and adds specific colors, trim and 19-inch wheels.
Customers will also be able to choose more individual exterior and interior combinations through Atelier Alpine.
Personalization is an obvious next step for a brand seeking higher margins rather than Renault-like volumes. If buyers entering Alpine through the A290 can subsequently be retained for an A390 or the forthcoming electric A110, the small hot hatch becomes considerably more valuable than its own sales numbers suggest.
The next-generation A110 will provide an important test. Alpine will reveal another glimpse of the all-electric sports car on September 28 as it prepares to replace the combustion-engined model on which the modern brand was rebuilt.
Motorsport remains part of the equation
Alpine is meanwhile reinforcing the performance credentials underpinning that expansion. Former Mercedes Formula 1 Chief Technical Officer Mike Elliott joined BWT Alpine F1 Team last week as CTO, leading the technical and engineering organization at Enstone.
Elliott previously worked there between 2008 and 2012 before moving to McLaren and Mercedes. Alpine says his 23-year F1 career has included contributions to eight Constructors’ and eight Drivers’ Championships. His recruitment forms part of the effort to close the gap with Formula 1’s leading teams.
