2024 Alpine A290: Prices, specs and release date
Wed, 10 May 2023
- New Alpine A290 beta previews a new 2024 electric hot hatch
- A sporty version of the new Renault 5 Electric also due in 2024
- Potent rival to the upcoming new 2024 MINI Cooper Electric
- Likely to cost around £35,000 when it is released in 2024
The new Alpine A290 beta concept car previews the new 2024 Alpine A290 hot hatch that’s set to cause a stir in the steadily-growing electric hot hatch sector. Derived from the new 2024 Renault 5 Electric, it is a modern-day incarnation of the famed 1980s Renault 5 GT Turbo.
The extreme Alpine A290 beta concept car is intentionally radical. This is seen most obviously in its three-seat layout with a central driver’s seat (despite its five-door layout, with hidden rear doorhandles). Bosses admit little of the show car’s cabin will make production.
The exterior of the new Alpine A290 beta is more representative, though – and already exciting enough to be an interesting alternative to the new Abarth 500e and upcoming new MINI Cooper Electric. Being a five-door, rather than its three-door rivals, will broaden its appeal, too.
With the marketing clout of the Alpine F1 racing team behind it, expect interest in the new Alpine A290 electric car to steadily grow ahead of the production car reveal next year.
2024 Alpine A290 prices and release date
The new Alpine A290 will be released in 2024, bosses have confirmed. It will probably make it to the UK in early 2025.
Prices for the new Alpine A290 are far from being confirmed. However, it will need to be competitive with the 2024 MINI Cooper Electric and 2023 Abarth 500e. New Abarth 500e prices start from just over £34,000 so hopefully the new Alpine A290 will follow suit – although more potent versions will probably ease over the £40,000 mark.
2024 Alpine A290 styling, interior and technology
The new Alpine A290 beta oozes potency. It is immediately clear this is a racy hot hatch, from its bulging surfaces to its radical three-tone 20-inch alloy wheels with wafer-thin gaps between tyre and wheelarch. The production Alpine A290 won’t be quite as extreme as the concept, but the themes will still be similar.
Expect the new Alpine A290 to boast X-shaped driving lamps at the front, as a styling cue drawn from the Alpine A110 sports car. The LED running lights that intersect the lower front bumper are another neat feature, as are the vertically-mounted rear lights that reference the famous classic Renault 5. It should also have a roof-mounted spoiler.
The Alpine A290 beta has a radical windscreen that stretches into the bonnet and showcases the interior. This would be prohibitively expensive to produce, so don’t expect it on production cars. But smaller details, such as the battery fans in the rear bumper that mimic those on high-end gaming computers, may be a characterful feature that makes production.
Inside, the Alpine A290 beta has a very radical race-inspired cabin that includes a central driver’s seat. Two more seats are mounted further back on each side, similar to a McLaren F1 and new Gordon Murray Automotive T.50. Don’t expect this layout to make production.
Unlike many modern cars, the Alpine A290 beta has no touchscreens. Instead, it has a minimalist cabin built around physical switches in the roof. This is augmented by a head-up display. Other information is projected into a driver’s headset which is, of course, fanciful for production. Expect the 2024 Alpine A290 to a more mainstream dashboard.
Alpine itself admits this, although still indicates that the production car “will be built around the same driving experience… the cockpit will revolve around the driver – the physical layout as well as the multimedia system and virtual interfaces associated with it”. We will watch with interest…
2024 Alpine A290 motor, performance and EV range
While the new Alpine A290 beta has a race-spec chassis and two electric motors, the 2024 Alpine A290 production car will use a version of the Renault CMF-BEV architecture. This will feature a single electric motor in the front of the car.
The new Alpine A290 is expected to use a version of the 220ps motor in the latest Renault Megane E-Tech Electric. The modular design means the firm can use it across its range, for economies of scale – and a 220ps output will see it match the 2024 MINI Cooper SE.
Bosses have indicated a future higher-performance version of the new Alpine A290 could use an even more potent motor co-developed by Renault, Valeo and Siemens. This may produce as much as 275ps.
The new Alpine A290 will share its battery with the Renault 5 Electric, which itself will use technology from the Renault Zoe. Expect a 50kWh battery, mounted beneath the floor. It will be a more high-density unit than today’s cars, mounted beneath the floor, offering a range of around 240 miles.
The new Alpine A290 will have F1-style overtake buttons on its steering wheel, which is designed to look like those on the firm’s racing cars. Pressing the ‘OV’ button will give a 10-second power boost. It can only be activated again after a 10-second wait.
The new Alpine A290 will also feature a driving mode button on the steering wheel. This will offer a choice of Wet, Dry and Full modes. Only the Full model unleashes the full power of the electric motors. Meanwhile, a torque vectoring system provides individual control at each driving wheel.
New Cars Coming Soon
Before you step into a showroom, read our in-depth guide to all the new cars coming in the next 12 months and beyond – some are well worth the wait.
A premium suspension setup for the new Alpine A290 includes an all-new multi-link rear suspension, also confirmed for the new Renault 5 Electric. For the new Alpine A290, it will feature hydraulic bump stops, which cushion shocks more effectively. It allows the suspension itself to be optimised for greater agility, without unduly impacting comfort.
Surprisingly for an electric car, the new Alpine A290 will have high-end four-piston Brembo brakes taken from the Alpine A110 sports car. What’s more, the new Alpine A290 beta concept car has an 11-position ABS system, although this is unlikely to make production.
What does the new Alpine A290 name stand for?
The new Alpine A290 is named according to the brand’s global naming strategy. ‘2’ stands for the B-segment, and ‘90’ signifies the brand’s future lifestyle range.
Will the new Alpine A290 have a central driving position?
The new Alpine A290 will not feature a central driving position, trading it for a conventional four-seat or five-seat layout. Developing a central driving position would be prohibitively expensive. Besides, this concept car has rear doors...
How big is the new Alpine A290?
The new Alpine A290 measures 4.05m long, 1.85 metres wide and 1.48 metres high. It is therefore larger than the future MINI Cooper Electric placing it firmly in the supermini hot hatch sector.
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