Alpine presents A390_β five-seater sports car concept

Just before the start of this year’s Paris Motor Show, Renault’s sports car subsidiary, Alpine, invited guests to the presentation of the A390_β. Without the Greek letter in its name, the production version is scheduled for market launch next year. We were allowed to look at this ‘beta version’ and gain insight into Alpine’s electrification strategy.

From a purely visual point of view, the Alpine A390_β is somewhere between a saloon and a coupé. The slightly raised seating position suggests that it is an SUV coupé, but not according to Alpine.

At its launch, the Renault company said, ‘This is a sports car. ‘ It seems that reference to it being a classic crossover is being avoided, and the term ‘sporty fastback’ is repeatedly used to describe the vehicle.

It’s true, and the car comes across as sporty. A powerful front end, muscular lines, and aerodynamic play symbolize a lot of performance. The Alpine triangle can be found everywhere as a focal element, and the wheel rims are designed to resemble snowflakes.

According to the designers, the show car’s exterior is already 85% identical to the production model. The interior color and details refer to Alpine’s particular Alpenglow model, shown last year.

Experimental interior

The readiness for series production does not apply to the interior; it is deliberately kept ‘experimental’. A leading theme here is duality and bringing opposing characteristics together. The interior is designed to combine comfort and Formula 1-like performance, which is why hard bucket seats are installed at the front and soft memory foam seats at the rear.

In keeping with the Formula 1 theme, there is a rectangular steering wheel with large knobs and tethered 5-point seat belts. A three-dimensional head-up display generates images with a depth effect to keep your eyes on the road.

Alpine has also separated these two worlds (F1 and comfort) in terms of color: the front row of seats is partially asphalt grey, while the rear bench seat shines in snow white. Snow gives the car its aesthetic symbology inside and out and builds a bridge to the French Alps, which offers Alpine its name.

Few technical data yet

Alpine is currently leaking just a few hard facts about its technique. We have only been told that the car will be based on the AmpR Medium platform. This is essentially the renamed CMF-EV (Common Modular Family) architecture, also used by Renault partner Nissan.

This gives clues to a few key data points, such as the 400-volt level of the high-voltage system. There will only be one battery option (probably in the region of 90 kWh), which will always work with three motors, one for the front and two for the rear axle.

Thanks to torque vectoring, Alpine promises dynamic cornering, and we can assume correspondingly high overall system performance. The Alpine developers show a video of a race between an Alpine A110 and an A390 prototype to demonstrate its sportiness. Despite its significantly higher weight, the A390 can easily keep up with the small, light sports car.

Targeting Tesla

Alpine CEO Philippe Krief spoke briefly at the premiere about the company’s electrification strategy. Alpine wants to launch seven BEVs, significantly expanding its model range.

When asked who the main competitor for the series version of the A390_β would be, the Alpine CEO replied like a pistol shot: “Tesla!” So, the tiny European mountain brand wants to take on the industry leader immediately.

A good price-performance ratio is essential for this to succeed, as this is currently one of Tesla’s greatest strengths. Unfortunately, we won’t know the prices for the A390 until next year, when the production version is unveiled.

Nevertheless, there are some indications. The slightly smaller Renault Scenic costs more than €50,000, with a large battery and lots of equipment. Alpine will probably price the A390 at a generous margin, as it tends to do with the A290 versus the Renault 5 E Tech. Considering this and the technical surplus, we could arrive at +€70,000.