Alpine, a Renault subsidiary, will abandon the production of cars equipped with combustion engines in the coming years by retiring the mid-engined A110 coupe. The French niche marque has already teased three electric vehicles it will introduce in the coming years, with one of them being its first-ever SUV. It now finally has a name: GT X-Over.
In the announcement made today, Alpine also reveals production will take place in France at the Dieppe factory where the assembly is scheduled to commence by 2025. It will follow a performance version of the reborn Renault 5 due in 2024 and will arrive before a sports car co-developed with Lotus as a replacement for the gasoline-fueled A110 in 2026.
Details regarding technical specifications are scarce for the time being, but we do know the Alpine GT X-Over will ride on the same CMF-EV platform as the Renault Megane E-Tech Electric and the Nissan Ariya. The base version is said to make do with a single electric motor and front-wheel drive for 215 horsepower. However, Renault engineering boss Gilles le Borgne has already hinted at a more powerful version with AWD: “In the rear, we will have a big surprise.”
Given Alpina’s heritage, we are expecting the GT X-Over to be significantly lighter than the equivalent Megane E-Tech Electric, but that remains to be seen. 2025 is still a long way to go and many of the specs could change between now and then. Meanwhile, another legendary sports car brand is working on an electric SUV as Lotus will take the wraps off the Type 132 this coming spring.
By expanding their portfolios, both Alpine and Lotus will evolve into something more than niche automakers thanks to the support received from parent companies Renault and Geely, respectively. Alfa Romeo and Lancia, another troubled sports car marques, will also benefit from the backing of their owners – Stellantis.
Source: Alpine
