The “Renaulution plan”, launched by Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault Group, has given the iconic French sports car brand a tremendous outlook.
Relaunched in 2017 with the A110 and following a 2021 reorganisation as a Business Unit, Alpine is gearing up for a new growth phase. The launch of its new 100% electric models from 2024 will enable the brand to boost its revenues so that it can be at break-even from 2026. From 2027, a world expansion phase will begin, backed by a line-up tailored to new markets including the USA, that will help improve Alpine financial performance and brand value.
“Alpine is the brand for motorsport and state-of-the-art technology enthusiasts. Excellence is its focus. Only two years ago, Alpine was in a dead-end, lacking clear perspectives. Since then, we have turned it into a fully-fledged car manufacturer, bringing together outstanding assets: a top-class engineering center, a unique manufacturing know-how, expanding distribution network. On top of it, Alpine’s entry into F1 prepares it to reach new heights, offering the brand the prestige and recognition attached to the pinnacle of motorsport”, explains Luca de Meo, Renault Group CEO.
2022 Alpine revenues hit a record, up 33% vs 2021. Nearly 7 years after launch, the A110 is the most sold sports car in France and features among the top 5 sports cars in Europe. In 2022, the 3 limited editions (the A110 GT J. Rédélé, the A110 Tour de Corse 75 and the A110 R Fernando Alonso) were sold out in just 30 minutes. The total orderbook stands at 7 months and sales are expected to exceed 4,200 units in 2023.
The total number of sales outlets has doubled in barely 2 years to 140, as of 31 December 2022. Alpine has forged partnerships with RedBird and AutoNation in the USA, bearing out its attraction in a country where the brand has major goals. What is more, the brand has entered the top 150 most valuable brands in France for the first time and is now worth €550 million.
Born from racing, Alpine needs to rise to many challenges including turning to 100% electric. To do so, it can tap into the broad array of expertise of its technicians and engineers, who are in the top rank of the world’s motor racing specialists.
First, Alpine will draw on its “Dream Garage” made of 100% electric models as follows:
– The future electric, sporty and urban A290 (B-segment car based on Renault 5 and Renault 4 CMFB-EV platform), for which the show-car was unveiled in May, is expected as from 2024.
– The C-segment Crossover GT, in 2025, that will be manufactured in France at the Manufacture Alpine Dieppe Jean Rédélé plant.
– The all-new A110, Alpine’s heritage and know-how flag-bearer, will be 100% electric by end 2026.
The A110 E-ternité prototype has served as a trial run demonstrating that Alpine has the capacity, and it is cost-beneficial to develop its own platform, which will mean it can offer cars true to its sportiness and agility DNA. The APP (Alpine Performance Platform) will also capitalise on the company’s internal resources to achieve economies of scale.
Underpinning the future electric A110, the APP is adjustable such that it can change length and width as needed. It will also be used for new cars including a ground-breaking A110-based roadster and the new A310, a 4-seat sports coupe.
Lastly, Alpine will launch two new D/E segment cars on top of its Dream Garage.
Apart from its APP platform, Alpine is developing proprietary technologies for its exclusive sports models like a hydrogen internal combustion engine or ADM (Alpine Dynamic Module), the central intelligence to enhance agility and performance within our electronic architecture.
“This comprehensive range of sports cars will cement our market share in our key markets in Europe and Japan. It will turbocharge our international growth, particularly in the USA and Asia, where our new models will be on sale from 2027. Our goal is to expand from a niche segment brand to a fully-fledged global brand. By combining a larger range with international expansion, we target an operating margin over 10% by 2030, and thereby put our business model on a permanent footing,” explains Laurent Rossi, CEO of Alpine.
Alpine aims to create an ecosystem by surrounding itself with key partners to co-invent the sports car of tomorrow, led by Renault Group. Its APP platform will benefit from the SDV (Software-Defined Vehicle) expertise of Ampere, Renault Group’s future electric and software pure player. Mobilize Financial Services will allow Alpine to attract and lock-in its customers via bespoke financial services. Lastly, on top of its own sales outlets, the company can draw on Renault Group’s distribution network for its foreign sales. Other external partners will support it including Google to develop connectivity services and Verkor to supply high-performance made-in-France (Dunkirk) batteries.
