As promised, the Alpine unveiled its new show car on May 9, 2023: the A290_β. This concept car gives a taste of what will be the A290, the brand’s future electric sports car based on Renault’s new R5.
Thing promised, thing due. Alpine gave its fans an appointment on May 9, 2023 to unveil the A90_β, an all-new concept car. With this “beta” model, the brand wants to offer a taste of its next production electric sports car: the A290.
According to the brand, this name evokes the future but also its heritage: A for Alpine, 2 for the B segment, 90 in reference to its future Lifestyle game and the Greek letter Beta for designer this intermediate stage in the development of its future production car.
An ultra-sporty version of the R5
As Alpine announced during its teaser at the end of April 2023, we are well with this A290_β in front of an ultra-sporty version of Renault’s future electric R5. “The A290_β mixes racing spirit and urban influences. It is aimed at a new generation of enthusiasts. Through its proportions and its technical details, it embarks us at first sight in the universe of a reinvented sportiness”. explains Antony Villain, design director at Alpine.
bodywork, both modern and dynamic, displays sharp lines and rather muscular shapes, which give this racing car aspect. With compact dimensions (4.5m in length, 1.85m in width, 1.48m in height), the A290_β foreshadows a production car “lively and agile” while the short wheelbase and widened tracks promise sporty handling and great stability at high speeds.
With this design, Alpine wanted to maximize aerodynamics as evidenced by these large air inlets on the shield, on the lower side or under the car’s front headlights. All these visible air intakes once again reinforce this competitive mindset. 19-inch tires signed Michelin will also offer top-notch performance according to the manufacturer. Inside the cabin, we find these inspirations drawn directly from motor racing with these bucket seats in 100% carbon structure, these Sabelt safety harnesses, or even this rather impressive arrow-shaped dashboard.
A modern and electric GTI
Regarding the technical characteristics, the A290 looks like a small modernized and electric GTI of course. As a reminder, it will be based on the CMF-B EV platform, the same as that used on the future R5. This show car comes as a front-wheel drive with two sport-oriented electric motors. Moreover, the new technology Torque Vectoringwhich separately controls the torque transmitted to each wheel, promises the best possible performance.
But that’s not all since the show car also includes three different driving modes:
- Wet for smoother and more stable reactions on wet tracks
- Dry for more slip and aggressiveness on dry roads
- Full to get all the power of electric motors
Regarding power, the A290 should display similar statistics to that of the Mégane E-Tech, i.e. up to 160kW (220 hp). “Drawing on a strong heritage, the A290_β projects Alpine into the future to live daily the spirit of competition that has driven the brand since its creation.“, concludes Laurent Rossi, CEO of Alpine.
