Lotus and Renault join forces to develop a 100% electric Alpine

As part of its plan to restructure its various brands and become one of the leaders in electrification by 2025, Groupe Renault is joining forces with Groupe Lotus to design an all-electric successor to the Alpine A110 in central motor.

The switch to electric vehicles was announced Thursday in separate press releases from Renault and Lotus. The two automakers have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which is not a legally binding contract but rather an expression of willingness to cooperate. Lotus press release states:

The signing of this memorandum of understanding 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 heritage and we are very happy to start this work together, from bespoke engineering solutions to the development of a next generation EV sports car.

Unfortunately, the only photo that showcases the new electric replacement for the A110’s appearance is a simple teaser image that only shows the headlights. From there, 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 switch to electric vehicles, which the company calls “Renaulution,” there is not only a replacement for the A110, but six other electric vehicles as well. Renault unveiled a prototype for one of the vehicles earlier this week, the Renault 5. Designed to be more of a daily driver, he points out that Renault’s new electric vehicles will cover a wide range of vehicle classes.

On the other hand, Lotus has taken a more radical approach to EVs lately with its $ 2 million Evija hypercar. With its 2000 hp all-electric motor, the Evija represents the end of the spectrum and shows companies’ willingness to push the boundaries of physics.

When the new all-electric replacement for the A110 will hit the road is still unknown as no timeline has been announced. That being said, Lotus has said it will go into production by 2025.

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