Renault will launch sales of a new Alpine sports car in 2017, reviving the iconic nameplate in a bid to add racing flair to the automaker’s lineup. The coupe will be able to accelerate to 100km/h in 4.5 seconds, about as quickly as a Porsche 911 Carrera. It will rival cars such as the Audi TT and Porsche Cayman and will replace the Espace minivan as Renault’s most expensive car when it hits showrooms in Europe.
Like earlier Alpines, the new car will employ a rear-wheel-drive architecture that keeps weight to a minimum. It will be powered by a new four-cylinder turbocharged engine. Renault did not specify horsepower or capacity. Reports said the car likely will have a 250bhp, 1.8-liter powerplant.
French media cited company sources as saying the car could be priced between 40,000 euros and 50,000 euros. The Alpine relaunch is a bolder move more in keeping with domestic rival PSA/Peugeot-Citroen’s decision to separate its DS range from Citroen as a new stand-alone brand.
The project has already overcome one false start, when a 2012 joint venture intended to build the vehicles with Caterham, the UK niche sports car maker owned by AirAsia’s major shareholder Tony Fernandes, unraveled two years later.
