Alpine has ambitious plans to increase its annual sales from just 3,546 in 2022 to more than 150,000 units by the end of the decade. To achieve that goal, the company wants to enter the United States, CEO Laurent Rossi said during a media briefing last week, Automotive News (subscription required) reported.
Alpine’s current only model is a mid-engine sports car called the A110. However, the French performance brand is on the move towards electric vehicles and has committed to launching a compact crossover and a hot hatch by mid-decade, followed by a redesigned A110 in 2026 or 2027 – all electric vehicle-based -Platforms.
It will then add two SUVs in the same segments as Porsche’s Macan and Cayenne. Those larger SUVs are slated for launch in 2027 and 2028, and the US will be “the prime destination” for them, Rossi reportedly said during the call.
Luca de Meo, CEO of Alpine’s Renault parent company, also said last November that the two larger SUV models catered to US tastes. He also pointed out at the time that Alpine’s participation in F1 was vital to brand awareness in the US, where the sport is growing in popularity.
During last week’s call, Rossi also reportedly said that Alpine might need an outside partner for the larger SUVs and that Geely would be the “most natural” fit. Alpine already has close ties with Geely. The redesigned A110 will be developed on a platform from Geely’s Lotus brand, and Renault and Geely are also already collaborating on shared vehicles for Asia and hybrid powertrains.
Lotus could also be the brand of choice for platforms for the two larger SUVs. Lotus launched the Cayenne rival Eletre SUV last year and is currently working on a Macan-sized Type 134 model. The British company, which has developed its own performance-oriented EV platforms, has said it is open to licensing the technology to other companies.
