Will the Alpine brand become the French Porsche? It’s everything we want from a French firm, and the brand’s ambitions, remember the international ambitions, prove that the Normandy firm intends to think big.
It’s no secret that Alpine is aiming to go 100% electric and announced in 2021 that it would be working with Lotus to develop the platform on which the electric successors to the A110 and Elise would be born.
Then, in May of this year, the partnership ended and Alpine (like Lotus) decided to go down a different, more independent path. This was announced today by the CEO of the French brand, Philippe Krief that for the implementation of these ambitious projects it is necessary to find investors. And here everything gets a little more complicated.
Return of Lotus via Geely?
Lotus is known to be owned by the Chinese group Geely, which also owns Polestar, Volvo, Zeekr and 50% of Smart, among others. Philip Krief stated that Geely (more precisely, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group) could become one of Alpine’s investors. as if to somehow announce that the Lotus is going out the door but coming back through the window.
“Geely is among the companies we evaluate”said Philip Krief, who confirmed ongoing negotiations between the two companies. “At the moment, the priority for 2024 is the formalization of Alpine’s industrial and product plan”.
A known partner
As we regularly report in the Auto Plus column, Renault and Geely are already cooperating. Recently, they announced the creation of a joint venture for the production of heat engines and hybrid power units. This first synergy will become truly felt within a few months on the South Korean side.
Overall, Geely’s investment in Alpine is in line with the ambitions of the group’s founder, billionaire Li Shufu, who wants to increase sales in all major markets by filling all possible niches. On the other hand, this large-scale investment in the brand would also be welcome, as Luca De Meo, CEO of the Renault group, aims to reach a brand turnover of 8 billion euros by 2030.
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Source: Auto Plus
Robert is an experienced journalist who has been covering the automobile industry for over a decade. He has a deep understanding of the latest technologies and trends in the industry and is known for his thorough and in-depth reporting.