Although Alpine isn’t returning to the US as initially envisaged, the company is still working on two larger electric SUVs, and an electric sedan.
One SUV is thought to be a model designed to take on the Porsche Cayenne, while the other SUV would be the next step up in size. The sedan is expected to be a sedan around five metres in length.
Antony Villain, Alpine’s chief designer, told Autocar at the Goodwood Festival of Speed “we are working on [the large vehicle family] today”.
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Mr Villain said it was necessary to have “something in the D- or E-segment” if the company is to “expand more globally”.
Alpine’s current European lineup consists of the A110 (bottom) mid-engine coupe, the A290 (above) — a hot version of the all-electric Renault 5 — and the A390 (below), a sporty electric “coupe” SUV.
Right now the A390 is the brand’s largest car, and sits in the European C-segment. It measures 4615mm long, making it a little smaller than the first-generation Porsche Macan.
As part of the Renaultion plan, Alpine was aiming to sell 150,000 globally by 2030. A key component in reaching that figure was launching in the US by 2027.
In April this year, Renault indefinitely delayed Alpine’s US launch due to the uncertainty around the tariff situation in the US.
As it stands, the tariff on cars imported to the US from the EU will rise to 30 per cent from August 1. The EU and US are currently negotiating an agreement that sources indicate will be similar to the one agreed to with Japan, where automotive imports are taxed at 15 per cent.
According to Mr Villain “there are some other countries where they look for bigger cars”. Although the design chief wouldn’t name names, the only other market where larger vehicles might sell in significant numbers is China.
It’s not clear how Alpine could crack the Chinese market without producing vehicles there, as fully imported vehicles incur heavy tariffs.
Renault, Alpine’s parent, currently doesn’t sell any cars in China, but it does have a series of partnerships with Geely. The two operate a joint venture company to house their internal combustion engine development and production facilities, and Renault has access to some of Geely’s platforms.
Under the plan announced in 2021, Renault would produce localised — namely restyled and rebadged — versions of Geely vehicles in South Korea.
Geely would in turn produce a clutch of Renault-ised Geely Group products in China. So far, the only fruit of this agreement is the made-in-South Korea Grand Koleos, which is essentially a lightly redesigned Geely Monjaro/Xingyue L.
If Alpine does end up developing and producing vehicles larger than the A390, it’s unclear if they will come to Australia. The brand has says it will return to Australia with the A390, but other products have yet to be confirmed.
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