When a concept car is revealed, you can be forgiven for letting your inner childlike spirit take over any logical thought. So, when Alpine recently unveiled its concept car called the A290_β (beta) in Bristol last week, on its interior, the arrow shape dashboard and central driving position aren’t to be taken too seriously as, like any concept car, it’s unlikely to look like this as the finished product. However, Alpine insist that the concept’s exterior looks “a lot like the future production models will.” Interesting…

What you can allow yourself to be excited about is that this looks to be everything that we want from a hot hatch: fun, sporty and, as an EV, cheap to run. Alpine says it has put a lot of effort into making the A290 a proper driver’s car, with “extensive fine tuning to achieve both playful and efficient behaviour.”

Like a McLaren F1, the concept car puts the driver seat in the middle with co-pilots, as Alpine likes to call them, on either side and with a bespoke steering wheel and hydraulic handbrake, Alpine's motorsport links are heavily referenced. Need a bit of extra power? The steering wheel of the A290 has you covered with a red Formula 1-inspired OV (overtake) button that delivers a 10-second boost. Perhaps Pierre Gasly and Estaban Ocon – who have spent ‘dozens of hours on the tracks’ to fine tune the hot hatch – and are part of the Alpine F1 team, had a big say in this particular feature.

In terms of exterior design, the A290’s shape is heavily influenced by the original 1980s Renault 5 turbo and the car measures 4.05m long, 1.85m wide and 1.48m tall. The short wheelbase and wide track will be perfect for sporty performance and agility, and the large air inlets on the front bumper will enhance the car’s aerodynamics while cooling it more efficiently. More air inlets are sculpted beneath the headlights, as well as ultra-slim floating wing mirrors.

In terms of power, Alpine hasn’t shared any specific details, though the car uses two motors up front and is likely to use the same 52kWh battery as a Renault Megane E-tech, giving it a range of up to 250 miles and a charge rate of around 130kW. A rapid charge should boost the battery from 10 to 80% in around half an hour.

Cornering is likely to be pretty impressive as unlike other EVs, this car is front-wheel drive. There is the potential for sophisticated torque-vectoring, where the motors shuffle power between the front wheels, depending on which has the most grip and where most power can be deployed.

A production version of the A290 is part of a trio of EVs in Alpine’s ‘Dream Garage’. The other two cars include an all-electric successor to the Alpine A110 sports car, which will take to the mountains at Pikes Peak in June, and a fully electric, family-friendly GT crossover.

Order books in Europe will likely open in 2024 alongside the Renault 5 EV, which will be officially unveiled later this year. It is likely to set you back around £40,000, placing it in similar price points to its rivals – the Cupra Born and Abarth 500e, with its divisive synthetic noises.

Whilst Renault Sport no longer operates, it lives on through Alpine in all but name and the A290 is an exciting example bringing the fun of hot hatch driving into the EV age.

Words: Mike Booth
Pictures: Alpine