Renault-owned Alpine has revealed its vision for a fully electric sports car with the A290_β (A290 beta) concept. The brand is tapping into its motorsport heritage and venturing into new segments starting with an urban sports car. The concept car’s design, materials and technology encapsulate a new angle on electric cars that are just as suited for motor sport circuits as they are for everyday drives – and as exciting for the driver as they are for passengers.
From the outside, the A290_β looks like a lot like the future production models will. Inside, its three-seat configuration is a whole new concept. Like the Alpenglow concept car revealed in 2022, the A290_β has the driver’s seat in the centre, like a single seater racing car. The difference is that the A290_β can also carry two passengers slightly behind the driver – one on either side.
With two electric motors at the front, the A290_β combines numerous specific developments (chassis, suspension, torque management, etc.) with extensive fine-tuning. It has inherited the DNA that Alpine honed in motorsports and competitions including the range of racing car functionalities built into the steering wheel with telemetry, the dynamic shapes and the air inlets streamlined for better cooling, the driving seat on the centreline, the bucket seats providing optimal support and the hydraulic handbrake.
The three exclusive and pioneering models in the line-up – a compact sports car, a GT crossover and the A110’s replacement – make up Alpine’s Dream Garage. They will all be 100% electric. The A290_β sits in the B-segment sports car designed primarily for cities. Production will begin in 2024 at ElectriCity in Douai. It will be built on the Alliance’s CMF-B EV platform for B-segment electric vehicles.
