“The A110 will be replaced. If you want the pure DNA of the brand, it’s always available in the A110: it’s the roots on which we’re growing a tree. The A110 will be very recognisable, but in terms of proportions and surfacing, it will evolve – for the better I’d say.”
The APP sports car platform allows for bigger wheels to boost the stance. “And it’s versatile because you cannot make money with one sports car. Because it’s extruded aluminum, it’s relatively easy to change the wheel base or width. And that helps pull different vehicles off it,” says the design director.
Alpine’s bold model plan: A110 and beyond
Alpine boss Krief says that APP will underpin the two-seat coupe and a roadster version, plus the 2+2-seater A310 models. He revealed to Auto Express that the platform is able to accommodate hybrid powertrains as well as an all-wheel drive EV setup and is leaving options open should Alpine need to respond to market demand in the future.
Beyond that, there is a clear desire within Alpine to follow up on the A110 R Ultime, which is based on the current A110. This high performance track-focused edition could be the blueprint for future special series versions of the new A110 that would rival Porsche’s GT range.
It’s an ambitious plan, which should eventually add a 1,000bhp hybrid supercar and potentially a bigger SUV on top, if Alpine eventually decides to attack the US market. But why will it work, given that French car makers have typically failed to crack the premium market?
Luca de Meo believed the electric transition is a great leveller. “More or less, we are on a par with the others. Everybody’s learning, everybody’s investing in battery technology and e-motors. It’s not that we have a 100-year gap to close so maybe it’s an opportunity for us.
“In the first generation, electric cars have been, in the main, appliances like washing machines – kind of ugly and unemotional. Maybe we can prove that electric car technology can actually be fun, that we can put in a soul. Alpine’s original position was doing more with less, the use of materials, of lightness instead of a big thing with big batteries. That’s the window I see again.”
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