Published: Aug 14, 2012

Lotus to Build New Renault Alpine?

Both Lotus and Renault-Nissan would benefit from this deal, but nothing is official just yet.

Last month Renault unveiled their gorgeous A110-50 Concept at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Designed as a tribute to the legendary Alpine 110, the concept featured nearly production-ready technology - further proof that the Alpine brand's revival will be happening. Even Renault's Chief Operating Officer Carlos Tavares stated that he was "determined to relaunch the Alpine brand...and that the first car will be a 21st century interpretation of the A110 Berlinette."

more at CarBuzz:
Benz C63 AMG by Inspired Autosport BMW M5 by Velos Designwerks Could Honda Power McLaren Sportscars?

Now there's word that the production Alpine could be built for the French automaker by none other than Lotus, specifically using the Evora 414E hybrid's platform with range extender technology. The other interesting thing here is that Lotus may also build a production version of the Infiniti Emerg-e supercar concept for the Japanese automaker, who is obviously also a part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Both the production Alpine and Emerg-e would share the 414E platform with final assembly taking place in the UK for both. Utilizing this platform is a smart move because each car would greatly benefit from the Evora's mid-engine layout.

Furthermore, Renault-Nissan would save money by not having to develop a new platform(s) on their own, therefore making a much more solid business case. Lotus would obviously benefit from the deal because they desperately need the business considering their relatively low sales volume these days. Both the Alpine and Emerg-e would be low production models but so far a final deal with Lotus has yet to be finalized.

by Jay Traugott
Lotus to Build New Renault Alpine?

11 comments - view full discussion

Lotus to Build New Renault Alpine?

Top Stories Today

Videos

Now Buzzing popular

Related Stories