The design of the third-generation Alpine A110 has been partially revealed with the French sports car maker revealing a sculpture of the new car.
This sculpture, which will be on display at the Paris motor show next month, resembles the moment the cover is pulled back to reveal a new vehicle.
Up front the new A110 continues to feature a shark-like V-shaped nose with two lighting units per side. Along the side we can see the car’s bulging wheel arches and the teardrop-shape of the cabin, which flows neatly into the rear deck where the sculpture ends.
Virtual sculptures of the first and second generations indicate the new model will be longer from tip to tail, as well as between the axles, than today’s car.
The Alpine Performance Platform (APP) of the third-generation A110 appeared at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed when the A110 Future development mule was driven around.
While most other dedicated electric vehicle architectures have a single battery pack under the floor, APP features two battery packs: one in front and one behind the passenger compartment. The rear battery pack is the larger and heavier of the two, containing around 75 per cent of the car’s total energy capacity.
Although two 800V batteries means extra complexity, it allows the new A110 to have a low driving position and, it’s claimed, a spacious cabin for all body sizes.
In the new A110 there’s an electric motor for each rear wheel, which is said to result in precise torque vectoring and wheel slip control when accelerating or steering through corners. APP also supports all-wheel drive applications, but there’s no hint the A110 will be anything but rear-wheel drive at this stage.
Although the new A110 is designed to be an EV-only model, Philippe Krief, Alpine’s CEO, told Autocar earlier this year that with “some small modifications on the platform we can accommodate an engine, gearbox, fuel tank and all you need” because the larger battery lives where the petrol engine resides in a traditional mid-engine layout.
Alpine’s plans to enter the US market are officially on hold, but a petrol or hybrid version of the new A110 may be essential if those desires are ever revived, given electric cars are much less popular there than in Europe, China and many other parts of the world.