The next-generation Alpine A110 is being designed as an electric-only vehicle, but the layout of its new platform means it could gain a petrol engine in the future.
Last week, the Renault-owned sports car maker revealed the Alpine Performance Platform (APP), which will underpin the next-generation A110 and reportedly the Renault 5 Turbo 3E.
APP uses an 800V electrical architecture for fast DC charging. The platform can also be equipped with a motor for each rear wheel, and an active torque vectoring system that adjusts the amount of torque output at each rear wheel every 10 milliseconds.
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Like the Lotus Elise and Evora, the APP architecture has a bonded and riveted aluminium structure for high levels of structural rigidity and low weight.
While most dedicated EV platforms have a single battery pack in the floor, Alpine opted for a more complicated — and possibly slightly heavier — two battery layout with one pack under the bonnet, and a larger battery situated behind the passenger cell.
This, according to Alpine, allows the driver to sit closer to the ground in a “low-slung position with a vertical steering wheel and all the key instruments within easy sight and reach”.
Philippe Krief, Alpine’s CEO, told Autocar 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.
Although Mr Krief didn’t specify the capacity of the A110’s batteries, he expects the car to have a WLTP range of around 550km.
While the new A110’s layout provides “an opportunity” to engineer petrol variants, these would likely only be sold in some markets.
According to Mr Krief, the A110’s market segment is about 350,000 cars annually, around 50 per cent of which go to the US. This suggests the brand might be keen to re-enter the US market, even though in July 2025 Alpine announced it was shelving its US launch indefinitely due to tariff uncertainty.
While a venture into the US might be back on the cards, planned SUVs to sit above the A390 have been axed.
Mr Krief told the British publication the brand will instead focus on developing models based on the A110, including a 2+2 variant, potentially with batteries positioned under the floor.