Move over, Abarth
An electric hatchback from an existing brand whose sporty version appears under a different brand name? Soon it won’t necessarily have to be an Abarth, because this Alpine A290 is the big brother of the yet-to-be-revealed Renault 5.
Renault will present both retro models and its sister brand Alpine. The two come together in at least one car: the Alpine A290. That is actually ‘just’ a sporty Renault 5, an electric retro candy that will be unveiled very soon in Geneva. We all know this because not only Renault, but also Alpine launched a concept car as a precursor. The suspicion that both models will look exactly like those show cars is confirmed by these first spy images of the Alpine. This car clearly has the body of the Renault 5, but supplemented with thicker bumpers, fender flares and large side skirts. The wheels are also impressive, and appear to be one of the same ones on the Alpine A290_Beta shown in 2023.
Those ‘highlights’ in the front bumper seem to be reaching the production stage
The production version also seems to get those extra lamps between the actual headlights, which protrude from the front bumper like old-fashioned spotlights. There is one thing the production A290 does not inherit from the study model: the seating position. While the show car was a three-seater with the steering wheel in the middle, the production car will have a much more traditional interior with the steering wheel (in mainland Europe at least) at the front left. You don’t have to be very patient anymore for the Alpine A290, because just like the regular Renault 5, the unveiling should take place this year. In the case of the 5, this happens very quickly: the time has come on February 26. Keep an eye on this website!
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl