Alpine surprises with the new A390, a sports car that promises the thrills of the A110 for five passengers

Alpine’s “Dream Garage” keeps growing. After the A290, it is now the turn of the second member, the A390_β, presented as a prototype -hence the Greek letter beta, which will disappear from the production model’s name- but which very faithfully anticipates what the new five-seat “sport fastback” will look like: a sports car suitable for everyday use… or a car for daily driving capable of transforming itself to enjoy the most extreme driving, as you prefer to interpret it.

In this first appearance, the A390 concept is shown with plenty of images but little technical information. The brand assures that the exterior design is 85% faithful to the future production model, so some of the solutions and features the prototype displays will be left on the drawing board. For now, take note of that aerodynamic silhouette -not a hint of the Cx coefficient- with elements such as the central deflector, a clear nod to the Le Mans Hypercars. And the rear diffuser with a light strip, extendable by 80 mm. Another curious detail can be seen in the wheels, 22 inches on the front axle and 23 inches on the rear, with a central insert that has a jewel effect.

The interior of the Alpine A390 concept

Unlike the exterior design, the interior of the Alpine A390 concept departs considerably from what we will see in the future A390 production model. To begin with, it is unlikely that the rear doors opening in the opposite direction to the front ones and the absence of a central pillar will be retained. Nor will we see in the road car such an “immersive” driving position, with a cockpit inspired by that of a Formula 1 car. Here, holographic projection technology has been used, employing three glass sheets placed behind the steering wheel to allow a “dynamic and multidimensional” reading of the information. As you know, we are talking about a concept car, designed to attract attention.

And, without a doubt, it achieves this, with details such as the steering wheel, also inspired by Formula 1, and buttons to act on the suspension operation and the regenerative braking system, not forgetting the “Overtake” button we already saw on the A290, to have all the power of the electric motors instantly for a few seconds.

But without a doubt, the most spectacular thing about the interior of the A390 concept is the driver’s seat and the “cockpit” concept. The seat, with a carbon fibre shell and the headrest section made from a flexible 3D-printed structure, can adopt two positions that also modify the height of the pedal box: one for daily driving and another for more sporty driving. For the rear seats of the prototype, Alpine uses one-piece seats with no seams.

Three electric motors

To learn more details about the technical characteristics of the future A390 we will have to wait. For now, the prototype previews a configuration with one motor on the front axle and two motors on the rear axle, controlled by the Active Torque Vectoring active torque management system, which allows independent management of the distribution between the front and rear axles, and between the two wheels of the rear axle. Alpine says it is a world first “in the segment”, to cover all bases: the first mass-produced electric car to use this technology was the Audi e-tron SUV, in its S versions.

Other features that distinguish the Alpine A390 concept are the floor made of carbon fibre from recycled elements, and a sound system custom-designed by Devialet, which has especially taken care of the acoustic experience of the ADS (Alpine Drive Sound) system during sporty driving. As with the A290, the production version will feature tyres developed by Michelin for this model. Production of the future A390 will start in 2025 in Dieppe, while the engines are manufactured in Cléon and the batteries will be assembled in Douai.

Alpine A 390 β – Image gallery