The North American EV market may end up with an injection of French flair.
The name “Alpine” may not mean much to North Americans; the brand hasn’t ever really sold its wares in the U.S. or Canada, aside from a handful of cars that made their way to the US and Canada as evaluation models in the late 1980s. As a brand managed under parent company Renault, it has remained a piece of forbidden fruit, as car enthusiasts have admired models like the A110 sports coupe from afar. All that looks to change, though, Alpine is developing two EV models specifically for the United States.
However, if you’re pining for an EV sports coupe, don’t get your hopes up. Both models will be sporty crossovers. According to Automotive News, the brand is developing two competitors, with the Porsche Macan and Porsche Cayenne Coupe directly in its sights. The brand wants to increase its sales numbers tenfold by 2025, which is 35,000 units. It also wants to surpass 150,000 in sales by 2030, and it feels that the U.S. is crucial to that.
So far, it seems like the EV crossover Alpines are mostly an idea. Alpine hasn’t picked an actual platform basis, but it did mention that it’s courting Geely, with the potential to use some tech and platforms from Zeekr, Volvo, or Polestar.
Alpine definitely faces an uphill battle. As the EV market matures, more competitors have entered the fray, both legacy and startups alike. Whatever form the Alpine SUV would take, don’t expect it to show on roads until 2027 or 2028. By then, there surely will be plenty of competitors. Will Alpine be able to carve out a niche for its EV crossovers? Only time will tell.
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