Electric 2026 Alpine A110 to be lighter than petrol rivals

The next-generation Alpine A110, due in 2026, will be lighter than combustion-engined rivals despite adopting an electric drivetrain.

Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo told Autocar that the company had made a “not rational” decision to “invest a lot of money” in a bespoke electric sports car platform for the next A110 and its derivatives – including a likely 2+2 version called the A310 – but it had “looked at Porsche for inspiration” in how to successfully build a sports brand.

“Porsche has the 911 [platform] as their own, and then they use others [VW Group architectures] for the likes of the Taycan and Cayenne. You keep the heart then as very true to the brand,” he said.

To that end, the Alpine sports car platform will be uncompromising in its purpose to root the French brand in performance models, which then lend credibility to its more lifestyle-focused mainstream models, such as the upcoming A390 SUV.

“The next A110 will be lighter than a comparable car with a combustion engine but with no compromise in performance,” said de Meo.

He added that making the bespoke architecture was objectively “a completely stupid decision” due to the likely return on investment in pure sales terms. A planned tie-up with Lotus on the architecture fell through but Alpine places such importance on bona fide sports cars that it has continued development by itself. 

Alpine has experimented with lightweight electric models previously, such as with the A110 E-ternité concept, an electric conversion of the current A110 that just undercut the Porsche 718 Boxster at 1400kg. 

The electric A110's design will be only subtly evolved from the current car, de Meo suggested. It "needs to look like" an A110, he said. "Porsche doesn't make a square 911."

More broadly, de Meo said “six or seven” uniquely positioned models would make up the Alpine range, including “some emotional pure sports cars”. Eighteen months ago, the brand said its intention was to launch seven models by 2030, starting with the new Alpine A290 hot hatchback.