Alpine A110 facing the chop to cut costs

French media are reporting the Alpine A110 is at risk of being axed as part of dramatic plans to shut the reborn sports car-maker's factory in Dieppe to slash costs.

According to Le Canard Enchaine, the Dieppe plant is only one of four factories that could be closed, putting five model lines -- including the A110 coupe that's only be on sale for three-years -- at risk of being dropped as part of huge restructuring plan designed to slash Renault's overheads by €2 billion ($A3.5b).

The French newspaper went on to say the four facilities include not only the Dieppe facility, but the Choisy-le-Roi parts factory and the Fonderie de Bretagne engine and gearbox manufacturing facility.

Renault's Flins factory is also under the spotlight but, according to sources, the Paris-based plant will soldier on until production of the current Nissan Micra ends.

The biggest shock is the potential closure of the Dieppe plant, raising serious questions over the future of the revived Alpine brand.

Back in 2017, Renault invested €36 million ($A60m) in the Alpine's manufacturing HQ to switch the line from the previous-gen Clio to the all-aluminium A110.

It's reported that a sudden fall in demand for the French Porsche Cayman rival, which only found 61 European customers in February, is another motivating factor to close the factory that employs around 150 people.

As well as factory closures, the Parisian newspaper also reported that five models will not be replaced at the end of their model lives.

Surprisingly, they include the Megane hatch, Koleos SUV, Talisman sedan (sold in Europe), plus the Espace and Scenic people-movers.

Attempting to head-off huge job losses as a result of the massive restructuring, the French government has reportedly granted Renault a €5 billion ($A8.3b) state-guaranteed loan to help it weather the ongoing pandemic.

It's not known if the emergency funding will have any effect on Renault's cost-cutting plans, but all will be revealed later this month when the French car-maker announces its plans to shareholders.