Lotus and Alpine to join forces on new EV sports car

Two of the world’s most iconic – if small volume – sports car makers have today announced a new partnership that will specifically look at producing a new electric performance vehicle, with Alpine and Lotus signing memorandum of understanding to unlock a new “technological collaboration”.

Lotus is the British (though it has been owned by China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group since 2017) sports car brand best-known for lightweight speedsters like the Elise, Exige, Evora.

Alpine, on the other hand, is the Renault-controlled (and still French) car maker that also focuses on reducing weight to improve performance, as evidenced by the A110.

But now both companies will pool resources and knowledge as they study the production of a new EV. And the key word here is “study”, with today’s announcement limited to the two brands confirming they will undertake a “comprehensive feasibility study for the joint engineering, design and development of an EV sports car by leveraging the resources, expertise and facilities of the respective entities in both France and the UK.”

Lotus has already flagged its focus on an electric future, via the multi-million-dollar Evija. That vehicle will be limited to just 130 units, and is capable of a sprint to 100km/h in less than three seconds, and a flying top speed somewhere north of 320km/h.

Alpine, too, has made noises about transitioning to an EV-only brand, with its long-term future now secured as a key pillar of Renault’s long-term growth strategy.

“Today’s announcement is the first step in what is set to be a hugely rewarding collaboration between our iconic brands,” says Lotus CEO, Phil Popham.

“Our companies have much in common – from a pioneering pedigree in light-weighting, to championship-winning sports cars which perform as impressively on the road as they do in the motorsports arena.

“It is a natural fit in many ways and the co-development of an EV sportscar is hugely exciting for our companies, our fans and customers around the world.”

More details? There are none, we’re afraid. All that’s left, then, is to cross our fingers and hope these two brands can produce an EV performance car worthy of their heritage.