Alpine reveals new A290 electric hot hatch

Alpine has unveiled its new A290 hot hatch.

The new all-electric hatch measures in at 3,990mm long, 1,820mm wide and 1,520mm tall, pitting it directly within the crosshairs of the shorter but slightly wider MINI Cooper SE.

The Alpine A290 measures in at 3,990mm long, and gets blistered wheel arches and a sizeable diffuser at the rear

And it has the charming looks to match. Up front, the Alpine A290 comes with a total of four headlamps - a recognisable Alpine touch. These feature X-shaped motifs (a touch said to recall the firm's rally cars) and display a welcome animation when the hands-free card is detected as the owner approaches.

Additional design features on the Alpine A290 include its wide wings, side skirts that feature a subtle body-coloured edging, an aluminium roof edge, as well as the optional French flag on its C-pillar, and sizeable diffuser at the rear. Look closer and you'll also notice the car gets a snowflake motif on its sports bumper.

And the Alpine has the performance to give the MINI something to think about. Powering the French hatch is a 220bhp electric motor that develops a peak torque of 300Nm (the MINI Cooper SE gets 215bhp and 330Nm of torque). With this power, Alpine states that the 1,479kg A290 will sprint to 100km/h from a standstill in 6.4 seconds (the MINI Cooper SE will do the same in 6.7 seconds).

The car can be had with Michelin Pilot Sport S5 tyres specifically designed to extract its full performance potential

Powering the Alpine A290 is a 52kWh battery which gives the car a WLTP range of 380km. This battery can be charged at up to 100kW via a direct current charger, and up to 11kW via an alternating current source.

On the handling front, the Alpine A290 not only gets all the advantage of that low total weight, but also gets a bespoke subframe (it's based on the AmpR Small platform that also underpins the Renault 5 E-Tech electric), to optimise weight distribution and keep its centre of gravity low.

Further aiding affairs here is a bespoke suspension setup that gets hydraulic bump stops, and also makes use of a multi-link design at the rear, which Alpine states allows the car to offer high stability at high speeds.

A 10.25-inch instrument screen and a 10.1-inch central infotainment screen resides in the cabin of the A290

The Alpine A290 will also being offered with three tyres from Michelin, all specially designed to maximise the car's range, grip and road holding. The two summer tyres of these three include the Michelin Pilot Sport EV, which offers optimised energy efficiency alongside high grip, longevity, and range. A sportier Michelin Pilot Sport S5 is also available, designed to extract the full performance potential of the A290 in both wet and dry conditions.

The car makes use of a 10.25-inch instrument screen and a 10.1-inch central infotainment screen in its cabin, with the latter running the Android Automotive system and Google Automotive Services that allows it to receive over-the-air updates. This system is also said to mimic a tablet, offering a tactile surface, integrated voice assistant, as well as a status bar at the top and shortcuts to the main menus on the left, while housing the car's air-conditioning controls at the bottom. It will also offer a home page with customisable widgets.

First deliveries of the Alpine A290 in the U.K. are expected to begin in 2025.