Alpine Has Entered the EV World

I’ve only ever written a blog post on the car company Alpine once before, but they did something that really struck my interest and I decided to make that this week’s topic. Alpine has entered the EV world, and now for my European readers, this may be old news or not something that you think is post worthy, but here in Canada, we like to make a big deal of it. 

Alpine announced they would be entering the American market with their latest edition, A110 EV, in 2026 and if it extends to Canada, that would mean 7 new models will be introduced on the market. Exciting, isn’t it? Well, yes, it is actually, simply because the North American market will go down in history to be known as the first global expansion continent this European giant has decided to merge with. Now, it is important to note, there is no guarantee that Canada will see Alpine vehicles, but there’s a really good chance we will if Alpine enters the US market, and everyone up here is crossing their fingers, let me tell you. 

But this wouldn’t be the first time a car company like this has been talking about entering our market. Actually, the Renault name itself was selling cars in the United States, up until about 3 decades ago (from 2023). They do still sell their cars in Mexico though so don’t be surprised if you happen to see one there while vacationing. 

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The Early Days

In the 1940’s and 1950’s, the United States got its first taste for the post war editions of Renault – the 4CV and Dauphine – and interestingly enough they were both more affordable than the imported Volkswagen Beetle, obviously making it an easier choice for people back then. The only problem? How they were built of course. The Dauphine was known to rust and it was a slow ride, and with these views, it made for a ponderous drive. Unfortunately, this was the downfall for the company and they stopped selling vehicles in the United States for a while. 

In the early 1970s, they re-entered the market, this time introducing 5 vehicles that debuted in France which all featured modern styling and a surprisingly spacious interior. Executives eyed the United States market very carefully and reintroduced it as the quaint “Le Car”. A deal was reached with American Motor Cars to sell the vehicles in their dealerships and under a complex AMC-Renault partnership, the French company even provided capital, parts, and expertise to AMC. 

A lot of good came out of the deal, including the boxy 1984 Jeep Cherokee, and interestingly enough, while the car was being designed by AMC, the engineering chief, Francois Castaing, ended up joining the company from Renault. The Cherokee was equipped with a gas saving Renault electronics system called Renix, that also helped to meet European standards that involved weight and fuel efficiency too. 

But this partnership was only successful enough to build one car together as they had a complicated relationship after this car was built. AMC built small Renault cars in Wisconsin while the two firms collaborated on a bigger sedan sold under the ever so short lived “Eagle Premier” name. 

Nowadays

Did you know that Renault still has an indirect presence in the United States? It partnered with Nissan when they formed an alliance back in 1999 (called the Renault-Nissan Alliance) and then added Mitsubishi in 2016. 

Globally, the alliance still shares platforms and parts – take the Nissan Rogue Sport for example. It uses the same platform as the 2015-2022 Renault Kadjar. Similarly, the last generation Nissan Rogue used the same platform as the Renault Koleos. 

The Renault brand doesn’t have a direct stake in the United States market, but it does have research centers located in California’s Silicone Valley thanks to its alliance. This research focuses on autonomous vehicles (EV’s), connected vehicles, infrastructure and even collaborates with other Nissan-Renault research hubs around the world. 

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What We Know About the Newest Edition

Renault is doing a really good job of keeping this vehicles details under wraps. No matter how many different sites I referred to, to find information on this car, I struggled. But I was able to find something as little as it may be.

The vehicle will be fully electric – replacing the current model A110 and may appear as a coupe or convertible in just under 2 short years from now – just in time to compete with the electric Porsche Cayman, talk about timing I know! It is also rumoured that a slender and more elegant version A310 will be released a few years after this that will compete with the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT. 

Being fully electric will have it’s challenges though, no doubt. But with the way things are changing so frequently and companies are being forced to adapt to these changes, there will definitely be more charging stations around the city in the next few years. The government is also giving buyers incentives to purchase electric vehicles which is another bonus too.

This is pretty much all we know about the new release so far, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled and do your research closer to the time to find out more about this new model.

Final Thoughts

Alpine is doing a really good job of trying to keep up with the major trends in the automotive world given the fact that they mainly operate out of Europe. It is only a matter of time before (after a successful merger) we see more of their cars spread out around the world.

But it really is hard to think that gas powered vehicles will become extinct at some point. However, with the major car companies expanding their product offerings, it is really helping consumers out for the long run. All electric or all gas powered may not be the best of options in the next couple of years, simply because of the way the economy is looking, but the hybrid versions really will make it far. It’s only a matter of time before Renault or Alpine picks up on this and introduces a hybrid vehicle to the market, and believe me when I say we will be waiting.