The Alpine A290 Beta offers the prospect of a future where an electric compact car can be both sporty and emotional

The Alpine A290_β stands out from other concept cars by prefiguring the future of the brand with its first electric sports car. It is also the first member of Alpine 's " Dream Garage " , which will include a crossover and a replacement electric version of the Alpine A110 .

By developing the A290 , Alpine is seeking to strengthen its reputation with a younger, city-dweller clientele. It's no secret that this first electric Alpine shares many elements with the electric Renault R5 .

In the future, the CMF-B EV platform will be used uniformly. Currently, the vehicle has a tubular chassis and two electric motors in the front, the exact power of which has not been disclosed by Alpine.

Aesthetically, it is difficult not to notice the similarities with the electric Renault 5, to the point that the future A290 seems to be an improved version of it.

However, according to Alpine Design Director Antony Villain , this is not the case and the car offers a fun driving experience with high-level agility and unique styling cues.

The essence of Alpine was to start by preparing the Renault 4 CV before designing their first car, the A106 , which was based on the 4 CV. Thus, we can say that the Alpine is the ancestor of the R5 Alpine and that it represents an evolution of the latter for the 21st century.

Brutal design, but not much on the car's spec sheet

Alpine is following the same strategy as Renault for the future A290 by first unveiling this concept car. According to Antony Villain, "we have reached about 85% of the production version".

However, it should be noted that certain elements of the concept car, such as the square-centered wheels, the forged carbon fiber, the windshield ending in an arrow on the hood or the third brake light crossing the rear window, do not will not be present on the production version. These elements are reminiscent of the aerodynamics of Formula 1 fins.

The imposing silhouette of the production A290 is 4.05 meters long, 1.85 meters wide and 1.48 meters high, with remarkably wide tracks. The X-shaped light signature up front is a homage to rally cars of yore, which sported tape over their fog lights during the day. This design will indeed be that of the standard A290.

According to Antony Villain, "we started with a great base using the R5". The fenders have been significantly widened compared to the electric R5, which was inspired by the legendary R5 Turbo . The false air intakes located in front of the rear fenders further enhance the look of the R5 Turbo.

We'll have to wait to see what happens with the final version. This will certainly have five doors, just like the R5, but will not be longer. Although the rear doors are visible on the concept car, they will not be functional. As for the interior, it is clear that this is a demonstration prototype.

There are three seats in the cabin, with the driver placed in the center of the car and the passengers set back slightly to either side, much like a McLaren F1 .

The production A290 will not be equipped with carbon tubes, a roll bar, harnesses and an F1-style steering wheel. However, these elements were added to give the car a sporty look.

Although Alpine could have made changes to its technical sheet to improve performance, nothing was done on this level. Rumors indicate that the Mégane E-Tech will be equipped with a 220 hp electric motor on the front axle and a battery with a capacity of around 50 kWh.

It is still premature to talk about prices, but if Renault keeps its commitment to market the Renault 5 at less than 25,000 euros (even if at the time there was talk of a starting price of 22,000 euros , the inflation has since passed), then it is likely that this Alpine A290 will cost around 35,000 euros .