This is the Alpine A290 Beta, which the brand announced since 2021, but in the end almost became a reality. It’s an electric heater based on Renault 5.
Let’s take a moment to decipher the name A290 Beta. Of course, A refers to Alpine. Number 2 refers to size, in this case the B-segment seems to be 2. Number 90 refers to ‘multipurpose’ vehicle, while number 10 would be used for pure sports car body. Based on that, we assume that if Alpine ever produced a long-wheelbase electric touring coupe, it would be called the A410 or something like that.
And finally, Beta refers to beta testing, which suggests this will still be an upcoming concept car instead of a production car. Both the Renault 5 and its Alpine rival A290 will likely only see production cars show up in showrooms around 2024.
When we talk about a fast Renault 5 with Alpine badging back in 2021, the figure comes in at 215 hp, front-wheel drive and a 100 km/h sprint time of around six seconds. We’ll know the final numbers when the A290 Beta is announced on May 9, 2023.
