Yesterday I wrote that the Renault 5 had been awarded the prestigious European Car of the Year award and today I’m saying the Alpine A290 has in fact been the winner. This isn’t a case of either or, rather it’s a case of both because the two cars are sharing the victory.
Kicking off “Alpine’s 100% electric era” through the brand’s ‘Dream Garage’ vision, the A290 is only the brand’s second car since its rebirth and now its first vehicle to have been awarded the European Car of the Year.
As they were entered into the competition together, the Alpine A290 also received 353 points from the judges, as did the Renault 5. A panel of 60 journalists from 23 countries came together to whittle down the shortlisted vehicles and finally award the Alpine A290 the trophy. With this win, Groupe Renault are two on the trot now with the Renault Scenic E-Tech taking out the trophy in 2024.
The A-arrow brand are enthused by this victory and will continue unveiling models from their ‘Dream Garage’ with the A390 fastback next followed by a new A110. That aside, the A290’s victory is a big deal for ‘hot hatchbacks’, a sub-category that has found itself in the doldrums recently but here’s hoping the little Alpine signals a return to glory for affordable yet practical enthusiast vehicles.
Incorporating Alpine’s DNA, the electric hot hatch promises “sensations of a sports car in a compact car” as well as agility and high-performance, all while ensuring usability.
True to its heritage, A290 will be made ‘Manufacture de Douai’ in France and will be available in two variants, 180bhp and 220bhp, the electric motors for which will come from Groupe Renault’s Cleon facility.
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Words by Matthew D’Souza, media courtesy of Alpine Cars Media.
