2026 Alpine A390 EV revealed and set for Australia

The all-new 2026 Alpine A390 has emerged as the latest contender in the fast-growing mid-size luxury electric SUV segment with dramatic looks and a state-of-the-art triple-motor powertrain claimed to bless it with the handling of an A110 coupe.

Revealed at Alpine’s hometown of Dieppe overnight, the French EV disruptor is tipped to be on sale in Australia either late 2026 or in 2027, with early indications suggesting it could match the second-generation Porsche Macan on price ($128k-$184k).

The headline news is mid-size SUV will be as quick as the dainty A110 R while offering a similar driving experience behind the wheel.

Tasked with rebooting the Alpine brand in Australia, the new A390 is the long-awaited follow up to the little A110 coupe that was sold Down Under from 2018 to 2022 when ADR pole impact tests saw it culled prematurely.

The second model Alpine's Dream Garage after the A290 hatch, the A390 will be followed shortly by a battery-powered A110 coupe replacement, with all three tipped to be eventually offered to Australians.

Previewed last year by the Alpine A390 Beta concept, the production vehicle largely keeps the show car’s dramatic exterior styling that features an aggressive shape and aerodynamics pinched from both the motorsport-inspired Alpenglow concept and the real A424 LMDh Le Mans endurance racer.

Based on the same Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi CMF-EV platform (rebranded AmpR Medium) as the Renault Megane E-Tech and Nissan Ariya, the A390 measures 4615mm long, 1885mm wide and stands just 1532mm tall, making it considerably smaller than a Porsche Macan.

Despite its smaller stature, the French challenger’s boot is only eight litres smaller than the German’s at 532L, though odds are there’ll be less passenger room in the second row.

The benefit of its smaller size, however, is a kerb weight of 2121kg; some 209kg less than a dual-motor Macan 4.

In Europe, the A390 will be offered in GT and GTS forms, the former producing 295kW/650Nm, launching from 0-100km/h in 4.8 seconds and good for 200km/h.

The GTS meantime packs 345kW/808Nm and trims the launch time down to 3.9s while upping the top speed to 220km/h.

Both versions feature an 89kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery back good for 520-555km depending on the variant and specification level, though its trump card is allowing the powertrain to develop maximum power even at 30 per cent charge.

A heat pump as standard across the board, but the electrical architecture is only 400V which limits DC charging to 190kW – a 15-80 per cent top up takes about 25 minutes.

Vehicle-to-load (V2L) and a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) functionality are also present.

Helping drivers get the most from both the powertrains and chassis is an advanced torque vectoring system that sees each rear motor drive a wheel each and in turn replicate an infinitely variable limited-slip differential.

The system is paired with super quick steering, a high-performance brake package headlined by six-piston front calipers and suspension that employs hydraulic bump stops.

Drivers can alter the settings and character of their vehicle via the Save, Normal, Sport, Perso and Track drive modes.

Helping them access maximum performance irrespective of the drive mode is an ‘overtake’ accessed via a button on the steering wheel that unleashes max power for 10 seconds before a 30-second recovery – or a 15-second recovery for another five-second burst.

Inside the cabin you’ll find a cossetting interior sporting real leather, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a Google-powered 12-inch infotainment system, flat-bottomed steering wheel, heated electric sport seats, a 360-degree camera and a 13-speaker 850-watt Devialet sound system.

The GTS builds on this with massaging Sabelt bucket seats, a more premium sound system, onboard telematics and a sophisticated adaptive cruise control with lane centring and an auto-park feature.

The flagship also gets bigger 21-inch alloys shod with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber compared with the 20’s and Michelin Sport EV tyres.

Options include twill or forged cabin appearance packs and plenty of accessories like tri-colour flags for the rear C-pillars.

The 2025 Alpine A390 is locked in to enter the right-hand drive British market in Q2 of 2026 after its left-hook European roll-out.

Locally, the Ateco Group can’t wait to have the Renault-owned performance brand back after an enforced four-year hiatus with Renault Australia boss Glenn Sealey revealing there’d been quite a bit of interest in its return.

“We are proud to announce the return of the iconic Alpine performance brand to Australia,” he said.

“We appreciate there is a lot of interest in this vehicle and Alpine’s future plans in Australia. However, pricing, timing and specifications will be announced closer to local arrivals.”

While confirmed for an Australian launch, Ateco has yet to announce when the A390 will land Down Under, though the expectation is for the final quarter of 2026 or sometime in 2027.

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