Photo: Alpine / edited by autoevolution
Renaults never caught on stateside. Shoddy build quality, ridiculous nameplates like the Le Car, and designed-for-Europe cars that were completely out of touch with the American public led to the brand’s downfall in the U.S.
Although it could have leveraged the know-how of the peeps at American Motors Corporation, the automaker from Boulogne-Billancourt was too full of itself to ask AMC for advice. The straw that broke the camel’s back wasn’t poor sales. It was the assassination of Georges Besse on November 17, 1986.
The French businessman who served as CEO of Renault at the time of his death also championed Renault’s presence in the United States. But alas, the succeeding chief executive officer (Raymond Levy) and the board of management decided to sell every single of its North American assets to Chrysler, including AMC.
Renault officially exited the U.S. in 1987, but in truth, Renault’s presence in this part of the world came to a screeching halt in 1992, when Chrysler stopped making the Giorgetto Giugiaro-designed Eagle Premier. We’ve been hearing rumors and more official reports about Renault’s grand return to the United States for what seems to be eons now. The French company appears to be serious about it, though, according to Bloomberg.
The cited publication understands that Renault intends to return with the Alpine brand via AutoNation, the Fort Lauderdale-based network of dealers founded by Wayne Huizenga in 1996. A component of the S&P 400 stock market index traded as AN, the automotive retailer from Florida may be granted sales and servicing rights.
Nothing is certain at press time, although Renault big kahuna Luca de Meo really wants to enter the U.S. market, whatever it may take. Only time will tell if AutoNation is OK with the yet-to-be-finalized terms and conditions. The only problem I can see with this Alpine x AutoNation partnership is Alpine, for it currently sells one model.
That model is the A110, a modern interpretation of the Giovanni Michelotti-designed original from the 1960s. Pretty small by American standards, the lightweight and nimble A110 is a midship affair with a four-cylinder turbo driving the rear wheels via a dual-clutch tranny.
It's not exactly affordable either. Way more expensive than the Renault Megane RS from which the 1.8-liter TCe originates, the A110 costs an eye-watering €62,500 back home in France. That’s $66,835 at current exchange rates, and for that kind of money, why not buy a C8?
The A110 definitely appeals to a small customer pool, but said customer pool may be too small for AutoNation to bother signing the dotted line. Given time, Alpine’s lineup will grow to three electric models, which will probably be sold in the United States if the deal goes through. The models in question are a B-segment hatch, a C-segment crossover, plus a successor for the A110.
The French businessman who served as CEO of Renault at the time of his death also championed Renault’s presence in the United States. But alas, the succeeding chief executive officer (Raymond Levy) and the board of management decided to sell every single of its North American assets to Chrysler, including AMC.
Renault officially exited the U.S. in 1987, but in truth, Renault’s presence in this part of the world came to a screeching halt in 1992, when Chrysler stopped making the Giorgetto Giugiaro-designed Eagle Premier. We’ve been hearing rumors and more official reports about Renault’s grand return to the United States for what seems to be eons now. The French company appears to be serious about it, though, according to Bloomberg.
The cited publication understands that Renault intends to return with the Alpine brand via AutoNation, the Fort Lauderdale-based network of dealers founded by Wayne Huizenga in 1996. A component of the S&P 400 stock market index traded as AN, the automotive retailer from Florida may be granted sales and servicing rights.
Nothing is certain at press time, although Renault big kahuna Luca de Meo really wants to enter the U.S. market, whatever it may take. Only time will tell if AutoNation is OK with the yet-to-be-finalized terms and conditions. The only problem I can see with this Alpine x AutoNation partnership is Alpine, for it currently sells one model.
That model is the A110, a modern interpretation of the Giovanni Michelotti-designed original from the 1960s. Pretty small by American standards, the lightweight and nimble A110 is a midship affair with a four-cylinder turbo driving the rear wheels via a dual-clutch tranny.
It's not exactly affordable either. Way more expensive than the Renault Megane RS from which the 1.8-liter TCe originates, the A110 costs an eye-watering €62,500 back home in France. That’s $66,835 at current exchange rates, and for that kind of money, why not buy a C8?
The A110 definitely appeals to a small customer pool, but said customer pool may be too small for AutoNation to bother signing the dotted line. Given time, Alpine’s lineup will grow to three electric models, which will probably be sold in the United States if the deal goes through. The models in question are a B-segment hatch, a C-segment crossover, plus a successor for the A110.
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