As part of its plan to restructure its various brands and become one of the leaders in electrification by 2025, the Groupe Renault is teaming up with the Groupe Lotus to design a fully electric successor to the Alpine A110 with a central engine.
The move to EVs was announced on Thursday in separate press releases from Renault and Lotus. The two car manufacturers signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), which is not a legally binding contract, but rather an expression of a willingness to cooperate. The Lotus press release states:
The signing of this MoU with Lotus shows the lean and intelligent approach that we are implementing as part of the new Alpine brand strategy. Both brands have an incredible legacy and we are excited to start this work together, from tailor-made engineering solutions to the development of a next generation EV sports car.
Unfortunately, the only photo showing the new electric replacement for the A110 appearance is a simple teaser image that shows only the headlights. From that, we can discern that the car will likely retain some of the same unique design language that the A110 has had since 1963.
Included in Renault’s plans to move to EVs, which the company is calling “Renaulution”, is not just a replacement for the A110, but six other EVs as well. Renault unveiled a prototype for one of the vehicles earlier this week, called Renault 5. Designed to be more of a daily driver, he emphasizes that Renault’s new EVs will cover a wide range of vehicle categories.
On the other hand, Lotus has taken a more radical approach to electric vehicles recently, with its $ 2 million Evija hypercar. With its 2,000 hp all-electric engine, Evija represents the opposite end of the spectrum and shows companies’ willingness to push the limits of physics.
When the new all-electric replacement for the A110 will hit the roads is still unknown, as no timetable has been announced. That said, Lotus has said it will go into production in the year 2025.
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