He added: “Usually, in an ICE hot hatch, you will have all the weight on the front. [Balancing the weight toward the rear] means that when you are braking, the rear is more stable; so you can play in other ways with the suspension and so on.”
Power, engineering boss Bonetto has confirmed to Autocar, will come in two levels. As previously reported, one will be a shortened version of the Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric’s 215bhp motor. The other – yet to be officially detailed – is expected to be the 268bhp unit developed by Renault, Valeo and Valeo-Siemens, slated to enter production in 2027. All power outputs are planned to provide “a good level of performance” without feeling “brutal”, said Bonetto.
Only one battery will be offered, with this expected to roughly match the Renault Zoe’s 52kWh capacity and 238-mile official range. The French firm previously announced that its new-generation pack – split into four ‘big modules’ – is more dense than the Zoe unit, and is 15kg lighter as a result.
Inside, the production A290 will look “1%” like the show car, according to interior designer Joshua Reer. The three-seat cockpit, which places the driver front and centre, is more-so a statement of intent for future Alpine interiors.
Minimalism is key to this interior, completely omitting touchscreens in favour of traditional button controls mounted to the roof and steering wheel. Critical information – speed and range – is shown on a small head-up display positioned above the steering wheel. “I think the interior has to bring the point home about what it means to sit inside an Alpine,” said Reer.
