Alpine previews 'ground-breaking' A110 platform
We still can't see the finished car - but what's underneath the new A110 doesn't sound half bad
Alpine, as a brand, has grown a burgeoning reputation for finesse chiefly off the back of one exceptional sports car - which ain’t bad going when you consider that the A110 never really achieved Porsche-worrying sales volumes, and was followed up with two EVs, one of them SUV-shaped. Still, the dealer network has grown to 170 retailers globally since 2018, and last year the firm exceeded 10,000 registrations for the first time in its history. A speck in the ocean, of course, when measured against Porsche’s reported 280k grand total - but moving in the right direction, at least.
Whether or not the next-generation A110 helps Alpine to immediately attract significantly more buyers remains to be seen; it will launch as a battery-powered model exclusively, and thus far electric sports cars have not been greeted enthusiastically (you may have heard). Nevertheless, the car is well-timed insofar as it will have a direct rival in the shape of Porsche’s own 718-replacing coupe, and while we're yet to see the newcomer, Alpine has already confirmed that it will deliver a Spider and 2+2 variants in coming years, which is vital for further growing the model lineup.
As you might expect, you need a cutting-edge, flexible architecture to properly underpin a range of differently configured EVs, and in the Alpine Performance Platform, pictured for the first time, it believes it has developed a doozy. To prove its wider point, Renault has already introduced the 5 Turbo 3E (arguably the world’s most exciting EV) on a variant of the same modular foundation, albeit with in-wheel electric motors. The A110 won’t get those, but it will get much the same bonded and riveted aluminium construction, said to have delivered the right mix of stiffness and lightness that the coupe certainly requires.
Mass, you won’t be surprised to hear, is again a preoccupation - not just its total amount, but where it goes. Alpine claims to have respected the 40:60 front-to-rear balance of a ‘true sports car’ with the positioning of its dual, 800V high-density battery packs, and has developed an all-new 3-in-1, dual-motor e-axle to go at the back. No word on capacity or power yet, though Alpine is claiming ‘exceptional torque and performance with ultrafast control, thanks to its SIC inverter’, not to mention something called the Alpine Dynamic Model, another EV ECU that is said to oversee everything from battery management to the (unspecified) active aerodynamics.
Also in its box of tricks is Alpine Active Torque Vectoring (not a surprise, given the presence of two e-motors on the rear axle), which adapts the power delivery every 10 milliseconds for the ‘very best dynamic performance’. Aiding and abetting it in ‘lightweight feel’ will be two new aluminium suspension setups, as well as new integrated brake and steering systems. There’s also the prospect of an F1-inspired driving position, i.e. ‘low-slung, with a vertical steering wheel and all the key instruments within easy sight and reach’, which sounds just the ticket, too.
“Our ambition is to become the leading French sports speciality brand in the world, offering the best driver’s cars of the EV era,” noted Philippe Krief, Alpine CEO. “Just as today the Alpine A110 is the foundation of our brand, showcasing our commitment to deliver high-technology products, we will offer the first true EV sports car to the market. It will be true to Alpine's DNA and outperform the best of today’s combustion sports cars, thanks to the Alpine Performance Platform.” The kicker? Tacked on mention of the firm’s ability to ‘react in real time to market evolutions’ - a window left ajar for petrol power? As Porsche has learned, never say never.
They have real potential to eat Porsche's lunch if they can get the ICE and EV versions to market before Porsche sort out the 718 replacement debacle.
The alpine always looked great and I’m sure this new one will be a cracker too.
I just hope they can keep it up and stick to what makes them better than similar priced cars in each segment. Make them lighter, give them sufficient power but not too much, can’t keep them easy to operate with proper physical tactile controls.
Personally I’m thrilled that they are not using under floor batteries. Setting up high in a sports car makes no sense. I must say that the batteries seem to be mounted quite high… so that needs careful vehicle dynamics tuning.
Personally I m thrilled that they are not using under floor batteries. Setting up high in a sports car makes no sense. I must say that the batteries seem to be mounted quite high so that needs careful vehicle dynamics tuning.
I think this is probably the most exciting EV design in the works from a complete package point of view.
I think this is probably the most exciting EV design in the works from a complete package point of view.
I'd agree in terms of excitement, although I'll put a tentative nod towards the Caterham concept too. Personally I m thrilled that they are not using under floor batteries. Setting up high in a sports car makes no sense. I must say that the batteries seem to be mounted quite high so that needs careful vehicle dynamics tuning.
Personally I m thrilled that they are not using under floor batteries. Setting up high in a sports car makes no sense. I must say that the batteries seem to be mounted quite high so that needs careful vehicle dynamics tuning.
Personally I m thrilled that they are not using under floor batteries. Setting up high in a sports car makes no sense. I must say that the batteries seem to be mounted quite high so that needs careful vehicle dynamics tuning.
I think I'm with conventional wisdom that lower MoI is better for a sports car, my RX-7 was nice how it rotated (small engine set well back), although I have heard respected people say the opposite. Putting the greater part of the battery over the rear wheels and the lesser part over the front isn't dissimilar to reversing a classic front engined transaxle gearbox layout like a Daytona.
I can't understand how high up the batteries look in these images. It looks like when I've seen an old petrol sports car converted to EV in the aftermarket, not what you'd do with a clean sheet at all. When you look at modern supercars, the dry-sump engine is really low, it's like peering down a well to find.
This image from Lotus shows how to architect an EV sports car
battery weight is low down without making the driver sit on it like they're riding a horse, and just ahead of the driven wheels - perfect. I'm hoping Caterham's Project V will do this, not the Alpine thing...
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