The Alpine A110 replacement being co-developed with Lotus will retain its focus on agility over power, despite the added weight of its electric powertrain, according to technical chief Gilles Le Borgne.
Talking at the Munich motor show, Le Borgne said: "Alpine has always been about building smiling machines, not chasing big power outputs, and we will keep our focus on that.
"For us, it's more important to keep the right balance between power and agility. That's what performance means when you talk about Alpine: it's our DNA."
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To combat the likely weight penalty of the battery pack, Borgne expects Alpine – which is also developing a hot derivative of the Renault 5 supermini and an SUV in the vein of the Porsche Macan – to employ sophisticated torque-vectoring technology to ensure familiar sports car characteristics.
Le Borgne also highlighted the potential for faster, more direct steering on EVs, noting that the set-up on the new Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric already offers an enhanced, sportier feel than previous cars.
"The angle of the steering wheel and the wheels is almost direct - and that's the sort of characteristic I expect to sit very well with Alpine, too," he said. "Combined with the torque-vectoring technology we're investigating, it should be something very special."
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