Separated Roads, Alpine And Lotus Agree To End The A110 Successor Development Partnership

Alpine A110. (Doc. Renault Group)

JAKARTA - French car manufacturer Alpine ended their collaboration with Lotus in developing the latest A110 successor model.

The partnership has been running for two years for the development of sports cars which will be powered by electricity. However, the production of the sports car, which is said to be a challenger for the Porsche Macan and Porsche Cayenne, has been canceled. Alpine and Lotus agreed to end the cooperation peacefully and choose their respective roads in the development of electric cars.

"Lotus and Alpine have collaborated to build future EV sports cars for more than two years, during which a strong relationship exists between the two companies. We have decided not to continue developing alongside Alpine sports cars," Alpine said in an official statement from the company quoted by Autocar, Monday, May 22.

Two years ago, Alpine and Lotus signed a memorandum of understanding in January 2021. Both agreed in conducting a comprehensive feasibility study in the development of the A110 successor.

In this understanding, the A110 is planned to share chassis and technology with the latest couple, Lotus Type 135. Referred to as the successor to the iconic Lotusmen model, the 135 Type will later be equipped with a battery cell that is placed vertically behind the driver.

The successor to the A110 will be the third electric-powered Alpine (EV) model after previously launching the Alpine A290 hot hatch based on Renault 5 and GT X-Over crossovers.

It is not yet known whether the end of the memorandum of understanding for this new sports car will also affect other Alpine models in the future that use the platform from Lotus. The plan, Alpine will launch the latest SUVs in 2027 and 2028 using the platform.

Alpine is currently looking for partners outside Renault Group in terms of platform suppliers. Rumors circulated that Alpine would partner with Lotus' parent company Geely for the project.

Meanwhile, Lotus said it was willing to cooperate with partners who wanted to reuse the platform from the New Lotus Eletre electric SUV, which would also channel the same size as the Porsche Macan.