Alpine A390 orders open soon
Alpine insists its second fully electric model is not a niche indulgence but a serious market entry. The new A390 goes on sale at roughly 70,000 euros. That places it uncomfortably close to established premium rivals and raises a fair question. Does Alpine’s emotional capital stretch far enough to carry a five seat electric car?
The French performance brand will open order books for the A390 in the first quarter of this year, with first customer deliveries promised for spring. It becomes the second model in Alpine’s so called Dream Garage after the smaller A290, and the brand’s first real attempt to translate its sporting DNA into a larger and heavier class.
The A390 launches in three variants.
GT delivers 400 horsepower and reaches 100 kilometres per hour in 4.8 seconds.
Premiere Edition is limited to 390 cars and mirrors the GT technically, but adds a richer equipment level.
GTS raises output to 470 horsepower and 824 newton metres, cutting the 0 to 100 time to 3.9 seconds.
All versions use an 89 kilowatt hour battery and all wheel drive. The figures are competitive, but not revolutionary, especially in a price bracket where outright acceleration stopped being a key differentiator some time ago.
Alpine places particular emphasis on its Active Torque Vectoring system, which uses two separate electric motors on the rear axle. The stated aim is to deliver balance and agility that engineers claim was benchmarked directly against the lighter Alpine A110. It is an ambitious promise and an inherently risky one. Selling a two tonne electric fastback on the idea of pure steering feel is never straightforward.
WLTP range figures stand at up to 555 kilometres for the GT and 500 kilometres for the GTS. Fast charging peaks at 190 kilowatts, with a 15 to 80 percent top up taking around 25 minutes. That trails the latest 800 volt architecture rivals.
On the plus side, standard equipment includes an 11 kilowatt AC bidirectional charger with V2G and V2L capability. A 22 kilowatt AC charger is optional and fitted as standard on the Premiere Edition.
Inside, the A390 tries to stand apart through craftsmanship and atmosphere rather than shock value. The layout features two large displays, a 12.3 inch driver screen and a 12 inch central touchscreen, with Google built in services and Alpine Telemetrics.
Audio comes from a system developed with Devialet, upgraded to the XtremeSound version in the GTS. Seating ranges from Alpine Sport chairs to bucket style options by Sabelt. Luggage capacity reaches 532 litres, a clear signal that the A390 is not shy about its everyday role.
An entry price of 70,000 euros means the A390 no longer competes only with niche electric models. It enters the same conversation as larger, better known premium electric brands. Alpine’s strength lies in emotion and heritage. Its weakness is limited recognition in this segment.
Whether that balance works in Alpine’s favour will become clear once customers move beyond brand romance and start weighing specifications, space and charging speed. The A390 is a confident step, but it is also a test of how far Alpine’s name can travel in a rapidly maturing electric market.
