Renault’s performance arm isn’t hedging its bets anymore. The vision for Alpine’s future is aggressively, almost exclusively, electric. There is little surprise in that trajectory. The brand is steering hard toward a lineup defined by three specific vehicles. Alpine calls this trio the Dream Garage.
The first piece of that puzzle has finally arrived. It’s the new A290. We are looking at it in show-car form today, a stripped-back preview of the production reality. This isn’t a vague concept meant to confuse. It provides a highly accurate glimpse into the styling of the version slated for commercial release in 2024.
Decoding the A290 Show-Car
Show cars are often where designers let their guard down. They’re less concerned with manufacturing constraints and more focused on emotional impact. The A290 show-car nails that balance. It hints at the sharp angles and muscular stance that will define the road-going model.
Why does this matter? Because the A290 sets the tone for the entire Dream Garage. If this is the starting point, the subsequent models will follow suit. Electric performance doesn’t have to look like a sci-fi prop. It can remain grounded. Aggressive. Practical.
What to Expect in 2024
The production version rolling off the line next year will likely shed some of the show-car’s excesses but keep the core attitude. The proportions are already right. The silhouette suggests a car built for grip. Forged for corners.
Enthusiasts have been waiting for Alpine to fully commit to electrification. The A290 is the answer. It proves that high-performance EVs can still carry the DNA of the brand. No watered-down compromises. Just pure, electric intent.
The Dream Garage concept ties it all together. Three cars. One philosophy. The A290 leads the charge. What comes next remains to be seen.
Alpine’s Dream Garage: The A290_β Leads the Charge
The countdown to Alpine’s all-electric future starts with a single, sharp point of light. Laurent Rossi, Alpine’s CEO, didn’t mince words. He framed the debut of the A290_β not just as a car reveal, but as the opening move in a new era. The “Dream Garage” concept is here. It is 100% electric. It arrives in 2024.
This isn’t about replacing the past. It’s about weaponizing it. The A290_β is a show car designed to urban streets, but its DNA is pure race track. It takes Alpine’s storied heritage and forces it into a modern, electric box. The goal? To make the spirit of competition a daily driver feature.
Rossi’s message was clear: Alpine is done playing it safe. The brand is projecting itself directly into the future. The A290_β is the vehicle for that projection. It’s a statement. It says that electric performance doesn’t have to be bland. It can be sharp. It can be aggressive. It can be Alpine.
“L’A290_β marque le début d’une nouvelle ère pour Alpine, avec la naissance du « Dream Garage » 100 % électrique dès 2024.”
The “Dream Garage” isn’t just a marketing slogan. It’s a roadmap. Alpine wants to own the urban electric segment without sacrificing the driving dynamics that made the brand famous in the first place. The A290_β is the proof of concept. It redefines what a sporty electric car looks like when built from the ground up by a team that actually knows how to handle a chassis.
The A290 has a heavy burden to carry. It needs to fill the shoes of a lineage defined by small, sharp-hot hatches. This dynasty started in the mid-70s. The R5 Alpine and R5 Turbo set the tone. Later came the R5 GT Turbo and the Clio Williams and RS models. They kept the flame alive. The brand’s DNA is pure rally. Alpine has been winning at that since its creation nearly 70 years ago.
First global debut of the show-car Alpine A290_β. Unveiled Tuesday, May 9, 2023. It previews the future 100% electric urban sports vehicle launching in 2024.
The A290_β wears white paint here. It’s a nod to the mountains. Inside, the dashboard takes an arrow shape. It is covered in original materials that glow depending on the lighting. The driver sits in a central position. Carbon bucket seat. This layout probably won’t make it to the production version. It is too extreme for most buyers.
The lighting signature is everywhere. Both inside and out. It highlights the aggressive style of the city car. Another nod to the past. Additional headlights flank the Alpine logo on the hood. They feature a giant X. This mimics the protective bars used on rally cars to prevent glass breakage.
Design cues from the rally days
The X-shaped markers are not just aesthetic. They are functional ghosts from the WRC era. Rally cars needed protection. These lights serve no purpose other than heritage. But they look the part.
The interior is radical. Central driving position. Think Cooper S or McLaren P1 levels of weird. Alpine admits this likely won’t sell. Who wants to sit in the middle of a daily commuter car? The materials glow. They change with ambient light. It feels like a cockpit. Not a cabin.
Electric performance expectations
The production car drops in 2024. It is fully electric. No combustion engine. Just battery and motor. The A290 is small. Urban focused. But it carries the RS badge weight.
Alpine wants to prove electric can be fun. Small. Agile. Precise. The A290 targets the same spirit as the old R5 Turbo. Mid-engine? Maybe. The show car suggests a compact footprint.
Drivers will want to know range. Specs are tight. 100% electric means zero emissions. But also range anxiety. Alpine is betting on performance over long-distance touring. This is a city car first. Weekend canyon carver second.
Why the A290 matters now
Traditional hot hatches are dying. Gas is expensive. Regulations are tight. Alpine steps in with an electric alternative. The A290 continues the tradition of lightweight sports cars. It replaces heavy components with battery packs and electric motors.
The result should be instant torque. Quick acceleration. No gear shifts. Just go. That is what rally taught us. Raw speed. Immediate response.
The white paint on the beta model stands out. Most electric cars go black or grey. White says summer. It says Alps. It says sport.
Will the central seat survive? Probably not. But the lighting signature will. The X-shaped headlights
Alpine A290 : la petite sportive électrique qui défie la physique
L’attente n’est plus qu’une formalité. Avec la présentation de ce prototype, Alpine ne se contente pas de montrer une esquisse ; elle dévoile l’identité précise de l’A290, celle qui atterrira dans les showrooms d’ici quelques mois. L’ambiance n’a rien de conventionnel. On y sent la tension d’un simulateur de pointe, grandeur nature, où deux pilotes testent les limites de la Renault 5 réinventée. Ce n’est pas du bricolage. C’est une démonstration technique brute, calibrée pour faire parler le châssis.
Comment Alpine optimise l’agilité d’un petit format
La physique est impitoyable avec les petites voitures. Plus elles sont compactes, plus elles doivent être agiles pour ne pas donner l’impression de tirer sur la barre. Alpine a répondu par un gabarit maîtrisé. Mesurant 4,05 mètres de long pour 1,85 mètre de large, la citadine sportive joue sur les porte-à-faux. Courts à l’avant, courts à l’arrière. Le résultat ? Une centralité de masse qui permet de pivoter avec une précision chirurgicale, défiant la logique des dimensions réduites.
Mais la taille ne fait pas la puissance. Sous la carrosserie, l’ingénierie de Renault s’invite via la motorisation de la Mégane E-Tech. Le compte est vite fait : 220 chevaux. C’est suffisant pour faire mal à l’âme des puristes qui attendaient un moteur à combustion, mais c’est exactement ce qu’il faut pour faire sourire ceux qui comprennent que l’électrique offre une réponse instantanée. La batterie, d’une capacité de 50 kWh, est le cœur de ce système. Elle ne vise pas l’autonomie record, mais la disponibilité d’énergie.
Pourquoi le Torque Vectoring change la donne
La vraie magie opère dans la transmission. Alpine n’a pas simplement branché un moteur sur un essieu. Les ingénieurs ont intégré la technologie Torque Vectoring. Pourquoi c’est important ? Parce que cela permet de réguler le couple de chaque roue indépendamment. Vous tournez ? Le système applique plus de force à la roue extérieure. Fini le sous-virage prévisible des citadines électriques. L’A290 se glisse dans les virages avec une intention de conduite lisible.
La personnalisation n’est pas laissée au hasard. Il y a plusieurs modes de conduite, mais le détail qui tue concerne l’ABS. Oui, vous pouvez le paramétrer. 11 réglages prédéfinis. C’est rare pour une voiture de série, voire inexistant chez la concurrence. On touche ici à l’essence même de la “petite sportive” : le contrôle. Le conducteur doit sentir que la voiture obéit à sa volonté, pas à l’ordinateur qui décide pour lui.
Brembo pour arrêter la folie
La puissance s’accumule vite. La maîtriser, c’est une chose. L’arrêter sans dévier d’un millimètre en enchaînant les freinages
