Hot 2025 Alpine A290 locked in for June 13 debut

Alpine has finally confirmed that it will unwrap its upcoming 2025 Alpine A290 at the Le Mans 24 Hour endurance race on June 13.

Following on from the closely-related Renault 5 electric hatch on which it’s heavily based, the Alpine A290 will become the French performance car brand’s new entry model when sales begin next year.

We already know plenty of details of about the hot French EV, which has already been previewed playing in the snow and will be a natural rival for both the new MINI Cooper SE and Abarth 500e.

The small five-seat, five-door hatchback will share the same AmpR Small electric vehicle platform (formerly known as CMF-BEV) as the Renault 5 and will measure in at 3990mm long, 1820mm wide and 1520mm tall, riding on a wheelbase of 2530mm.

A glimpse of the cabin reveals the hotter take on the R5 will also come with a flat-bottomed sports steering wheel that will feature a rotary dial to change drive modes, a blue RCH knob to vary the brake regeneration and a third, red OV button to provide short bursts of extra power.

Other intel released by Alpine following two years of chassis development includes the fitment of 19-inch wheels that will be available in Europe with either Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 winter tyres, Pilot Sport EV tyres or Pilot Sport S5 performance tyres.

All of them carry ‘A29’ markings that indicate they’re special Michelin tyres featuring a bespoke compound and structure developed in co-operation with Alpine. And all of them are claimed to balance safety, range, comfort, handling, durability and acoustics.

What Alpine hasn’t confirmed is what kind of battery will power the Alpine A290, however, it’s expected to be the same 52kWh unit as the top-shelf Renault 5 – not its smaller 40kWh standard battery pack.

Aimed at giving it a dynamic edge over the Abarth 500e, the Alpine A290 will get the French car-maker’s latest torque vectoring system alongside multi-link rear suspension that will be tuned to deliver an engaging drive.

To be built at Douai in northern France alongside the Renault 5, the A290 will also feature a more aggressive aero package and sit lower to the ground on wider front and rear wheel tracks.

Looking at the new official images of the hot EV testing in the snow, it’s also possible to make out the X emblem on the fog lights, as well as a different front bumper and an intricate wheel design, all of which suggests the Alpine A290 will retain the look of the 2023 concept that previewed it.

At the rear, evidence of a small diffuser shows how hard Alpine’s aerodynamicists have worked to ensure the A290 will produce more downforce than the R5 without inducing range-sapping drag.

As far as power goes, it’s been tipped the Alpine A290 will come with a front-mounted electric motor that could produce as much as 160kW.

There’s no word yet on what range the electric hot hatch will offer, but the combination of a more powerful motor, larger tyres and more extreme suspension and aero set-up make it unlikely to cover 400km between top-ups.

The A290 nameplate has already been secured for use in Australia so it seems certain the electric hot hatch will be offered here alongside the Renault 5, potentially by the end of this year.

There’s no word on pricing yet, but it’s thought the smallest Alpine model yet will be positioned between the Abarth 500e ($58,900 plus on-road costs) and the more expensive new MINI Cooper SE, suggesting a base price of more than $60,000.

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