Alpine: The New Emblem of Renault's Sports Cars

The Alpine brand, which represents Renault's sports cars, was born at the Geneva Motor Show. Various companies such as Toyota, Nissan, Honda, and Citroën had previously created new emblems for their luxury or sports cars; for example, Toyota established the Lexus brand for its luxury vehicles, and Nissan created Infiniti. These brands are typically subsidiaries of the main automaker that utilize some capabilities of the parent companies. Usually, these brands are formed when customers show little interest in the luxury or sports products of the main company. For instance, people did not expect luxury cars from Toyota, which is why Toyota created the Lexus brand. Now, Renault, which has recently undergone structural transformation, has revived the Alpine brand to present its sports and luxury products. Renault currently holds a significant share of Nissan, Mitsubishi, Samsung Motors, Lada, and Dacia, and the Alpine brand is considered one of Renault's new subsidiaries. The Alpine brand produced sports cars from 1955 to 1995 before being discontinued. During that time, Alpine was one of the popular sports car brands in Europe. The Alpine 106 was one of the first products developed on the Renault 4 platform, which was an affordable car. The legendary product of this company was the A110, produced from 1961 to 1977, which excelled in racing competitions. Now, Alpine has introduced a new car based on this product, retaining the same name and attempting to modernize the legendary Alpine design, similar to what Ford did with the updated Mustang. Alpine's strategy is to build a sports car that is cheaper than other European manufacturers, one that is lightweight and achieves high speed and acceleration with a smaller engine. Therefore, the new A110 weighs about 1000 kilograms with its aluminum chassis and body and features an 1800 cc engine with 250 horsepower. Although this engine does not have high power compared to European super sports cars, its lightweight allows it to reach 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds. This car is expected to be priced below 60,000 euros, which is considered expensive for a regular car but not for a sports car in the European market. Renault has tried to apply all its expertise in the suspension system, allowing this car to handle very sharp turns at high speeds. Unlike most French products, power transfer to the rear axle and wheels is done through a 7-speed automatic transmission with a dual-clutch. This car can be considered a cost-effective alternative to the Porsche Cayman, but will it compete with the German Porsche? Regis Fricot, the Alpine manager in Europe, told Radio Farda, "The new Alpine car is very lightweight and designed for those who love driving and enjoying it. We have used a turbocharged 1800 cc engine with 250 horsepower in this car. The weight of this car is 1080 kilograms, which means we have one horsepower for every four kilograms, creating very good performance for a sports car. This car will be available for sale in Europe by the end of this year, with a price of 58,000 euros in France. Alpine is a new brand but is considered a subsidiary of the Renault group, like the separate brands Dacia or Samsung Motors. However, we will utilize Renault's capabilities such as the sales network, marketing, and the supply chain to minimize costs."