Current operations of Alpine cars, Renault Sport Cars and Renault Sport Racing will be united as one entity under the Alpine name. Alpine will bring together the credibility of a respected brand, specialised manufacturing, engineering expertise and considerable exposure from Formula One.
Together, they set the foundations to take Alpine to a different league. The newly created Alpine business will be a “new generation” automotive brand for discerning, passionate early adopters.
Current strengths and new synergies for new challenges
Alpine represents the epitome of French motoring, building on remarkable victories throughout its history – a brand with heritage and pedigree. It is also a factory with highly skilled specialists manufacturing the A110 in Dieppe.
Renault Sport Cars comprises a team of 300 experts developing sports cars. They have provided Groupe Renault with iconic products such as the R5 Turbo, Clio V6, Megane R.S. Trophy and the new Alpine A110.
Renault Sport Racing, with its eponymous F1 team, employs 1,200 people who develop what are described as the “grand complication watches of motorsport” with some of the best aerodynamicists, mechanics and powertrain engineers. F1 is also a huge marketing platform with half a billion fans worldwide, representing a unique opportunity to enhance Alpine’s branding globally.
Alpine will also take advantage of the scale and capabilities of Groupe Renault and the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, including technology with the Alliance’s own EV platform, global manufacturing capabilities, a powerful purchasing arm ensuring optimum cost competitiveness, a global distribution network and RCI financial services. The objective is to be profitable in 2025 including investment in motorsport.
Alpine’s 100% electric dream garage
The new organisational structure, the increase in technological sharing across Groupe Renault and the Alliance, plus the collaboration with selected partners will be instrumental to support Alpine’s future product plan:
- A 100% electric B-segment hot hatchback based on the Alliance CMF-B EV platform
- A 100% electric C-segment sports crossover based on the Alliance CMF-EV platform
- A 100% EV replacement of the A110 developed with Lotus
As part of the Alpine Business Unit development, Groupe Renault and Lotus Group have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to outline a number of areas of cooperation, including the joint development of an EV sports car. The Alpine and Lotus teams will conduct a comprehensive feasibility study for the joint engineering, design and development of an EV sports car by leveraging the resources, expertise and facilities of the respective entities in both France and the UK.
Alpine’s next product generation will make use of Groupe Renault’s latest innovations and will benefit from Formula One technology and expertise: efficient energy management, safety systems and connectivity solutions derived from Formula One’s high-performance in data analysis and processing that will bring a significant competitive advantage to the Alpine products.
Laurent Rossi, CEO Alpine, said:“The new Alpine entity takes three brands with separate assets and areas of excellence to turn them into an empowered, fully-fledged business. The craftsmanship from our plant in Dieppe, the engineering mastery from our Formula One and Renault Sport teams will shine through our tech-infused, 100% electric line-up, taking the beautiful Alpine name to the future. We’ll be on the tracks and on the roads, authentic and high-tech, disruptive & passionate”.
Continuation of racing
Alpine and Renault have a long racing history with successes in different categories, be it in Formula One, rally or Endurance. Competition will remain at the core of Alpine’s ambitious plans, with Formula One being central to the brand’s motorsports strategy.
From 2021 the Alpine F1 team will be racing against some of the most prestigious names in the automotive industry and will enter the very exclusive club of fully-fledged factory teams.
Antony Villain, Alpine Design Director, said: “Giving a powerful and specific identity to Formula One, but also to the entire Alpine motorsport programme, is an evidence and an opportunity. With motorsport at the heart of our process, the graphic identity is key. The livery presented today is the first evocation of the Alpine F1 team’s new identity. Some of the structural graphic elements will remain on the racing livery while others will change. The ‘oversized’ Alpine emblem in a tricolour graphic system is the first clear-cut symbol of the brand’s identity in motorsport. The blue, white and red refer to the colours of the French and British flags, which is very important to us. Numerous variations on all the motorsport assets are still to come.”
