The inside line on what Alpine does next
In the wake of the 288bhp A110S, Alpine has started work on a hotter RS model good for around 320bhp. Headed since last summer by Patrick Marino – ex Merc-AMG – the bustling Renault sub-brand is in the process of assessing other opportunities, too. Among them is a decontented A110 Légère aiming to trim 100kg from the already light A110. This featherweight territory is owned by the Lotus Elise, so it’s fitting that there are moves afoot to forge a link between Alpine and the British sports car maker, now owned by Geely. Perhaps less welcome is the news that an SUV is also being considered, potentially launching as early as 2022.
VW insiders tell me there is some concern that the range is aimed too much at the head, not the heart, now that the Beetle is dead. Options on a tentative list include a roadgoing version of the ID R, the electric racing car that holds the Pikes Peak hillclimb record, a downscaled edition of the ID Buggy (pictured) and a recreation of the iconic Karmann Ghia. Just about the only conventional newcomer is the next Golf R Plus,
New BMW CEO Oliver Zipse is not a gambler. Even more so than his predecessor, he is a pragmatic leader who knows rule number one is to ensure the big-volume models perform to target. That’s why the FAAR platform under the new 1-series and the next Mini will likely remain in production for two extra years, until 2030. To fund the zeroemission i range, BMW will axe the 2-series Gran Tourer, the 2-series convertible and the 6-series GT. The Z4, the X2 and all three 8-series could also be at risk. And the repeatedly stalled halo car keeps not quite making it on to the product plan. Current thinking is to phase out the i8 and replace it for 2022 with a reskinned version of the same car, with revised suspension, a 340bhp four-cylinder engine and a beefed up battery pack. But it’d still only be PHEV…