√Renault’s Alpine A290 Beta electric hot hatch concept unveiled

This new concept car is a preview of the first electric hot hatch from Renault’s performance-car arm Alpine, due in European showrooms next year.

The Alpine A290 Beta concept has been unveiled, as a preview of a Renault Clio RS-sized electric hot hatch due in showrooms next year from Renault’s new performance-car division.

Known as the A290_β (beta), the show car previews what is the first new model from Alpine since it replaced Renault Sport as the French car maker’s high-performance arm – and its first electric car.

It is a faster version of the upcoming, battery-powered Renault 5 city-car revival – also due on sale in Europe next year – and a spiritual successor to the Renault Clio RS, in the same class as a Ford Fiesta ST or Hyundai i20 N.

Australian showroom arrivals are yet to be confirmed for both the Renault and Alpine versions, but the local distributor for the French car companies has expressed interest in the new models for first arrivals in 2025.

Although the concept has styling cues from race cars, Alpine says it is 85 per cent representative of next year’s production version – expected to offer 160kW and an estimated 0-100km/h acceleration time of six seconds.

The A290 will kickstart a new range of electric cars for Alpine – which sells only one model, the turbo-petrol A110 coupe in Europe since 2017, and in Australia from 2018 to 2021 – including three SUVs, and a battery-powered A110 replacement.

Alpine’s one-letter, three-number naming structure will continue on its electric cars, here following the initial A with the size of the car (2 for the A290), and the type of vehicle (90 for hatchbacks and SUVs, or 10 for dedicated sports cars).

The beta symbol “refers to the beta test used in the software world, the test version, just before the final version,” the company has said.

Compared to the Renault 5 Prototype unveiled in 2021, the Alpine concept receives a restyled front fascia with X-shaped signatures in its headlights and newly-added square driving lights, plus a more aggressive lower bumper.

It is significantly wider than the Renault, measuring 4.05m long and 1.85mm wide – 75mm broader than a Hyundai i20 N – with flared wheel arches, prominent side skirts and Alpine badges.

The concept’s wheels measure 20 inches in diameter, however the production version is slated to offer 19-inch alloys. Both the concept and production car wear specially-designed Michelin performance tyres.

Other visual upgrades include a new, sculpted bonnet, red accents on the roof and window line, a bold rear bumper with circular cut-outs for fans used to cool the batteries, and a tall rear roof spoiler.

Inside, the Alpine A290 Beta concept is a three-seater – akin to a McLaren F1 supercar – with a centrally-mounted driver’s seat flanked by two passenger positions.

Highlights include racing bucket seats with harnesses, ambient lighting across the dashboard, and a bank of switches on the roof.

The Formula One-style steering wheel in the concept features a ‘push to pass’ button – which provides a 10-second burst of additional power – plus switches for anti-lock brakes, the radio and a drive mode selector.

Alpine highlights “environmentally-friendly certified vegetable-tanned leather” on the dashboard, “laser-machined” leather on the door panels, sand-blasted aluminium on the parking brake and ‘footrests’, and an ultralumen reflective material on the steering wheel, and top of the dashboard.

Powering the A290 concept are a front-mounted electric motor with advanced torque vectoring technology, though a power output is not quoted.

It is complemented by multi-link independent rear suspension four-piston Brembo brake calipers from the A110 coupe, hydraulic bump stops in the suspension for improved bump absorption, and adjustable suspension.

The production version is expected to borrow a single 160kW electric motor from larger Renault electric cars – up on the 100kW of the standard Renault 5, and the circa-150kW of turbo-petrol Hyundai, Ford and VW pint-sized hot-hatch rivals.

European media outlets have reported estimated zero to 100km/h acceleration of about 6.0 to 6.5 seconds, a few tenths of a second quicker than current petrol-powered competitors.

The showroom version of the Alpine A290 Beta concept is due for unveiling and a European introduction next year.

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