Alpine has announced that 35,450 A110s have been built since the original model launched in 1969, with most belonging to the second generation, which debuted in 2017. The final car of the second generation rolled off the assembly line a few days ago, marking the end of an era. As the saying goes, out with the old and in with the new, Renault's performance arm is already previewing the third-generation model, though it won't be a direct successor.
Currently known as the A110 Future, the development car is essentially a test mule. Gone is the turbocharged 1.8-liter gasoline engine mounted behind the seats, replaced by a dual-motor setup while keeping the rear-wheel-drive layout. This is far more than just an electric conversion of the old car; it's an all-new development based on the Alpine Performance Platform (APP).
View Price on AmazonThe A110 Future already looks familiar because development prototypes are usually a mishmash of old and new parts. However, the top view clearly shows much wider wheel arches, so expect beefier front and rear axles. Underneath the skin are two rear-mounted battery packs arranged in a split layout to achieve a 40:60 weight distribution. While Alpine doesn't address the elephant in the room, weight, there are reasons to be optimistic. The battery uses high-energy-density cells, so the pack shouldn't be excessively heavy.
Alpine claims the new A110 will be the "world's first true EV sports car" and that it will have what it takes to "outperform the best of today's combustion sports cars." The pair of electric motors is claimed to deliver "exceptional torque and performance." Since it's still early days for the next-generation A110, Alpine is staying tight-lipped about most of the technical specifications. However, it does say the performance EV has a fully aluminum suspension to keep weight in check.
For the same reason, the platform is aluminum-intensive, and the battery uses a cell-to-pack design in which the cells are integrated directly into a single large pack. It's also getting a silicon carbide (SiC) inverter for greater efficiency and higher power density in a lighter package. Alpine has also confirmed an 800-volt electrical architecture, which should enable ultra-fast charging. While the A110 will remain strictly a two-seater like its predecessors, there are already plans for a larger 2+2 model that will revive the A310 nameplate, last used in 1984.
Source: motor1.com
