Alpine A290 – Alpine’s take on the Renault 5 EV – to debut at Le Mans in June

Alpine’s first EV – the Alpine A290 – will debut at Le Mans on 13 June as a sporty take on the new Renault 5 EV.

It’s getting on for a year since the Alpine A290_b Concept was revealed, pointing towards a production A290 based on the new Renault 5 EV but with more sporty intentions.

The A290_b came with plenty of ‘Concept-y’ bits – including a central driving position – which won’t make it in to production, but the basic shape, which is effectively a butch take on the R5, remains.

Sitting on the same platform as the R5, the A290 will come with more power, upgraded suspension and improved brakes, although it’s likely to share the same 58kWh battery with the R5, as well as fogs at the front, bigger air intakes at the front, roof spoiler and a set of wheels which look much like those on the concept.

There is a single front motor powering the A290 which is likely to come in two flavours, with a 215bhp version at launch followed by a more powerful 265bhp version, with torque vectoring and a wider track for greater stability.

The new Alpine A290 is likely to go on sale shortly after it’s revealed at Le Mans, with prices likely to start around £40k.