Photo: Alpine
If you thought it’s a long wait until Tesla delivers your ideal Model 3, stop moaning. Those who prefer the Alpine A110 over the Porsche 718 Cayman have to wait more than a year for their mid-engine sports car to arrive in the driveway, with the French automaker building the turbocharged two-seat coupe at a rate of 15 vehicles per day.
Failing to satisfy the customer with 54,700 euros in his pocket doesn’t sit well with Alpine, which knows that people are prone to cancel their orders and go for the Porsche. Given this circumstance, the performance sub-brand controlled by Renault announced that it’s upping production to 20 vehicles per day.
Automotive News highlights that the “order books don't officially open until September” at the automaker’s 49 dealer network in Europe, “but only those who reserved a long time ahead will take delivery of cars before the end of the year.”
The publication refers to the 1955 Premiere, a special edition that celebrates the launch of the A110 as well as the year Alpine was founded by Jean Redele. Fast-forward to 1969, and that’s the year Alpine opened the assembly plant in Dieppe where the A110 is manufactured nowadays.
Turning our focus back on the 1955 Premiere, the model sold out in just under five days according to Renault. The current lineup consists of the Pure (€54,700 in France) and Legende (€58,500). Both models churn out 252 horsepower and 320 Nm from the 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that happens to be more potent in the Megane RS hot hatchback.
Even though the plant in Dieppe can build up to 6,000 cars per year, increasing the speed of production to 20 per day would push production to 5,200 cars annually. But at the end of the day, there’s something more pressing that Alpine wants to address with the A110.
"Currently, our first priority is quality - and our second and third. Then we talk about quantity," declared Sebastien Erphelin, interim managing director of Alpine. Considering that an A110 takes one-and-a-half weeks to build, Tesla’s problems with the Model 3 seem small by comparison.
On that note, what would you buy in this price range and in this segment? Are the Alfa Romeo 4C and Porsche 718 Cayman more attractive than the A110 of the 21st century?
Automotive News highlights that the “order books don't officially open until September” at the automaker’s 49 dealer network in Europe, “but only those who reserved a long time ahead will take delivery of cars before the end of the year.”
The publication refers to the 1955 Premiere, a special edition that celebrates the launch of the A110 as well as the year Alpine was founded by Jean Redele. Fast-forward to 1969, and that’s the year Alpine opened the assembly plant in Dieppe where the A110 is manufactured nowadays.
Turning our focus back on the 1955 Premiere, the model sold out in just under five days according to Renault. The current lineup consists of the Pure (€54,700 in France) and Legende (€58,500). Both models churn out 252 horsepower and 320 Nm from the 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that happens to be more potent in the Megane RS hot hatchback.
Even though the plant in Dieppe can build up to 6,000 cars per year, increasing the speed of production to 20 per day would push production to 5,200 cars annually. But at the end of the day, there’s something more pressing that Alpine wants to address with the A110.
"Currently, our first priority is quality - and our second and third. Then we talk about quantity," declared Sebastien Erphelin, interim managing director of Alpine. Considering that an A110 takes one-and-a-half weeks to build, Tesla’s problems with the Model 3 seem small by comparison.
On that note, what would you buy in this price range and in this segment? Are the Alfa Romeo 4C and Porsche 718 Cayman more attractive than the A110 of the 21st century?
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