Aussie launch of Alpine EV performance brand delayed

The local arrival of Renault’s Alpine go-fast electric vehicle brand has been slowed down.

Previously scheduled to return to Australia as soon as late 2026, Renault Australia’s official stance is Alpine is now “under study”.

“We are quite excited by Alpine and when we look at Alpine with an all-electric line-up we think there is an opportunity,” said Renault Australia general manager Glen Sealey at the recent launch of the Scenic E-Tech electric SUV.

“But when I look at the sales above the Luxury Car Tax (LCT) rate in the Australian market for all electric cars, they're not fantastic.

“So now's not the right time to launch.”

Alpine dabbled in the Australian market with the reborn A110 turbo-petrol sports car between 2018-2021 and was scheduled to return with the triple motor A390 electric SUV, expected to be priced against the Porsche Macan from around $130,000.

The A290 hot hatch and a third-generation A110 EV were also on the agenda.

The brand has laid out a global product plan forecasting the production of seven EVs by 2030.

But like the Renault 5, Renault 4 and Twingo, Sealey says Alpine has to wait for an uptick in EV sales locally for Renault Australia to convert its interest into a business case.

Sealey said any EVs it imports must be profitable for Renault Australia and its dealer network, while also making sense from a pricing perspective for customers.

“As soon as it does [meet those criteria], in you go,” said Sealey.

“The cupboard’s there to grab something out of it.

“We've still got the opportunity. You know, if you look at Alpine, you've got the A390 that just launched in Europe. It's a terrific vehicle.

“But would we bring that car into market today when the segment is so tiny above the LCT threshold for EVs? Not yet, let’s wait and assess the market further.”

Sealey declined to nominate how long the introduction of Alpine could be delayed, simply saying “depends on the market".

Alpine does have some presence in Australia as the flagship Esprit Alpine badge in the Renault Arkana SUV coupe and new Scenic E-Tech electric SUV line-ups.

Automobiles Alpine was originally an independent performance tuner purchased by Renault in 1973.

Renault has earmarked Alpine to become a global electric vehicle performance brand, although plans to enter the US market appear to be cooling.

Alpine is also Renault’s motorsport brand and is currently involved in Formula 1 (albeit powered by Mercedes-AMG) and the world endurance champion (from which it will soon withdraw).

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au