Alpine previews its first crossover with the Alpine A390_β
Alpine continues to broaden its range beyond the sports cars it was founded on with the A390_β. Following the firm’s usual naming convention, the ‘Beta’ suffix indicates that this is a concept car, but the exterior shape is "85 percent" true to the production car, which is tipped for production next year. Other parts of the naming convention, incidentally, include the ‘3’ which reflects the size of the car and the ‘90’ which indicates that it’s an every day contender rather than a sports car.
While the A390_β may look like a crossover or SUV to the casual observer, Alpine pitches it as a ‘sport fastback’ and handily provides its own definition of the proprietary term. According to the French marque, sport fastback means that form follows function, while technical and aerodynamic elements are intentionally sporty. It goes on to conclude that it embodies fluidity, sportiness and spaciousness, which sounds as if someone has run Jaguar’s ‘grace, pace and space’ through an online thesaurus too many times.
Alpine is yet to release any details about the batteries, motor, power output or range, so for the time being we’re only privy to what the car looks like. Styling inspiration, we’re told, comes from the Alps. Rock, minerals and snow have informed the choice of materials.
The overall silhouette is described by Alpine as a "monolithic bubble," drawing its inspiration from a drop of water, meanwhile the wheels have been inspired by a snowflake. We’re not making this up!
At the centre of the wheels (22-inch at the front and 23-inch at the rear), there’s a cabochon (a shaped and polished gemstone) that illuminated with a blue halo. We assume that’s part of the 15 per cent that won’t make production.
The side of the car borrows cues from the A110, which is becoming an Alpine signature, while the Bleu Spectacular paint colour alters with the light to highlights the varying shapes around the car. Aerodynamic elements include the ‘flying bridge’ at the front, while a micro-perforated grille guides the air efficiently. Wide side scoops create an ‘air curtain’ to accelerate its natural flow.
Both front and rear feature a swarm of illuminated triangles under the main lighting. This ‘Cosmic Dust’ may or may not reach production vehicles. More conventional illuminations is provided by light bars front and rear which have been designed to impart a sense of light weight. The one at the rear incorporated light-up lettering to spell out 'Alpine'.
Alpine describes the rear end styling as "more conceptual," so we’d expect the tail to be toned down a little for showroom versions of the A390. A sharkfin dissects the rear window and recalls Alpine’s historic Le Mans racing cars. In our game of ‘guess what will make production and what won’t’, we expect that particular aerodynamic aid to be a victim.
We’ll give the last word to Alpine CEO Philippe Krief: “A390_β previews the future Alpine sport fastback, which we have designed like an A110 with five seats. The duality between the racing spirit and the refinement of this show car embodies the performance and driving experience that we will deliver from 2025 onwards in our production vehicle, produced in France at the historic Dieppe Manufacture.
"More than the promise of a 100 per cent Alpine experience, it’s a genuine commitment.”
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