Renault’s Alpine Brand Planning Convertible and RS Models, SUV Considered

Let’s get straight to business. Speaking to Autocar, Alpine head honcho Michael van der Sande declared that “a faster version [of the road-going Alpine Vision Concept] looks like it would have potential, and I could imagine a beautiful convertible could be a possibility, but nothing is decided.”

The four ominous words at the end of the citation shouldn’t put us off, though. The things which worry van der Sande are funds and initial reaction to the first model of the reborn Alpine brand, which is due in 2017. “We have a lot more ideas than funds at the moment,” the official added, “but that is one of the challenges of starting a brand from scratch.”

I’m willing to bet that van der Sande’s master plan will work out and he’ll get the funding necessary to develop and produce the convertible and RS models he dreams of. After all, the man cut his teeth with high-profile manufacturers such as Bentley, Harley-Davidson, Tesla, and even Aston Martin.

As if these plans weren’t ambitious enough, Michael van der Sande further disclosed to the British publication that Alpine could turn its attention to the United States and China in the longer term. More than that, the British publication highlights that Alpine “would expand to sell a family of cars in time, with at least one SUV already having been mooted.”

I'm not thoroughly excited about the idea of an Alpine SUV, but hey, who am I to judge what’s right and what’s wrong to do in this mad, mad world we call the automotive industry? Leaving aside this preposterous prospect, van der Sande made it clear that the Alpine Vision Concept-based road car “is not an Alfa 4C with a singular purpose.” It’s a more refined animal, apparently.

The first pre-production car is finished and it currently resides “in the factory, yes. All I will tell you is that it has soul, and that was one of our goals.”