Here are some updates from the Renault-Caterham sportscar collaboration deal that was announced two months ago. Autocar UK reports that Renault will launch its Alpine sports car within three years, which means that the Porsche Boxster rival should surface by the end of 2015.
What can we expect? “It won’t be more hardcore than a Mazda MX-5. What we do will not be soft, but not hardcore like a Peugeot 106 Rallye. You can’t betray the DNA of Alpine. That’s a third of what the car will be,” said Renault marketing boss Stephen Norman.
“It must be light and look different, and have a touch of French dash. It’s not a car for dandies, though. We know who the buyer is: he’s either French or a Francophile. And the car has technical innovation as part of its DNA,” he added, elaborating on the Alpine DNA.
To be developed and built alongside Caterham’s own sports car at Dieppe, France, the new Alpine will target cars like the Porsche Boxster and range topping versions of the Audi TT. The below £50,000 car will use a Renault engine producing around 250 bhp.
Click here to read all about the Renault-Caterham deal, which will also spawn a city car and crossover for the Malaysian-owned company. Will Renault’s production Alpine look anything like the eye-catching Alpine A110-50 concept that was shown last year? Click here to view the pics.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
… and leave Lotus in the dust… Keeps going Tony!
Nah! Alpine was nowhere near Lotus. Do some research kiddo!
Was toying the idea of getting the Alpine GTA while I was in London many-many years ago, but I think the car was too cranky – being french. Got a merc cosworth instead.
While the design elements in the Alpine Concept Car looks very nice and promising, I’d rather have the same body proportion of the original Alpine A110 for the production version of the new Alpine Renault sportscar…
I looks more like a Lotus Elise competitor (lightweight, fast and hard) than a competitor to Audi TT or even Boxter (the boxter is roadster)?
rich people will have more options to choose…
Outside of Malaysia Renault mostly sells affordable cars. But TC doesn’t want Renault to compete with Nissan, so obviously the maker of Godzilla is used to sell cheap cars, and the maker of cheap cars is used to sell sports cars.
i like the colour scheme…
If only it would sound and go like the concept car… But of course a car that loud wouldn’t be legal anywhere on public roads.