Triple-motor Alpine A390 to rival Macan 4S

Alpine's first electric SUV has been revealed in full, with its sights set on big-name premium-badged rivals

- Richard Ingram [e-mail]

RENAULT'S sporty Alpine brand has got Porsche in its sights with its second all-electric model. The A390 is a Macan-rivalling 'Sport Fastback' with three motors (one at the front, two at the rear), active torque vectoring and up to 464bhp. Alpine says it'll deliver the “agility and driving pleasure” of its featherweight sports car, the A110.

The production-ready A390 has been a long time in the making, and was previewed last year by the bold A390_8 concept. Visually, there are plenty of similarities; the full-width lightbar and slim daytime running lights are almost unchanged, and while the slashes, slots, and vents are more production-friendly, the sharply styled look of the show car remains.

Alpine has fitted a number plate and swapped the illuminated lettering on the nose for a more conventional black badge. Plus, there's anew set of headlights incorporated within the bumper, too — the concept did without these because apparently you don't need to see where you're going when the toughest terrain you'll face is a Paris exhibition stand.

To the side, the alloy wheel design differs only slightly from last year's concept, while the cladding that runs along the sills is all but identical. Alpine has kept the show car's clean surfacing, fitting flush front door handles; the rear ones are hidden in the C-pillar. The steeply raked screen and roof-hinged tailgate hide a 532-litre boot — on a par with the Porsche.