Lotus and Renault’s Alpine to co-develop new electric car

Lotus and Renault’s Alpine have signed an MOU to co-develop a new electric car which will likely be a new Lotus EV and Alpine A110 successor.

Co-operation between car makers is becoming ever more necessary as the huge cost of complying with ever more stringent emissions regulations and the transition to an EV-based lineup soaks up more money than many can manage alone.

The latest tie-up to be announced comes from Renault’s Alpine and Lotus (perhaps we should call it ‘Geely’s Lotus?) who have signed a memorandum of understanding to co-develop a new electric sports car, and more.

Alpine, which now incorporates Renault’s Renault Sport division, will work with Lotus to undertake a comprehensive feasibility study for the new EV which, with a common ethos from both brands focussing on weight and handling, should minimise the disagreements. They will also collaborate to leverage Alpine’s motorsport platform in F1 and Formula E.

Alpine boss Laurent Rossi said:

The signing of this MoU with Lotus shows the lean and smart approach we’re implementing as part of the new Alpine brand strategy. Both brands have an amazing legacy and we are most excited to start this work together, from engineering tailored solutions to developing a next-generation EV sports car.

And Phil Popham, Lotus CEO, said:

Our companies have much in common – from a pioneering pedigree in light-weighting, to championship-winning sportscars which perform as impressively on the road as they do in the motorsports arena.  It is a natural fit in many ways and the co-development of an EV sportscar is hugely exciting for our companies, our fans and customers around the world.

The fruits of the labours of Lotus and Alpine are likely to result in an electric replacement for the Alpine A110 and a new electric sports car for Lotus.