For French manufacturer Alpine, 2025 was always destined to be a landmark year. Not only does the automotive marque commemorate its 70th anniversary, but it also heralds the beginning of a new era as the brand begins to phase out its critically acclaimed A110 sports car and welcomes in the all-electric A290 hatchback and A390 SUV.
So, when Alpine extended an invitation for Magneto magazine to join its 70th anniversary bash – held in the marque’s hometown of Dieppe, Normandy – my answer was an emphatic “Yes, please!” Especially since the offer included an A110 S for the drive from Blighty to northern France. A diamond jubilee, after all, calls for a stylish arrival.
I was one of around 150,000 enthusiasts that made the pilgrimage to Dieppe from across Europe for three days of celebrations from May 30 to June 1, 2025. Many of those drove their own Alpines to the event, and more than 1700 examples spanning the company’s history assembled on the town’s picturesque seafront lawn.
The sheer quantity of cars was staggering – a kaleidoscope of colour that extended almost as far as the eye could see. Myriad models, from early A106s and A108s to classic A110s and wedgy A310s and A610s, continued row after row. Hundreds of modern A110s were present, too, including the limited-edition A110 R 70 model launched to commemorate the anniversary celebrations. The radical Alpenglow hypercar concept and an Alpine Formula 1 car proved incredibly popular, and were the focus of smartphone lenses all weekend.
Even without the incredible display, it’s obvious that Dieppe is incredibly proud to be Alpine’s hometown; the brand is everywhere you look. I spotted classic A110s mounted on the roofs of several bars, restaurants and garages, while Alpine automobilia could be seen in the window of almost every café, boulangerie or shop I walked past. Naturally, the anniversary was front-page news in the local newspaper, too.
But the anniversary celebrations weren’t just about the marque’s past; it addressed the company’s journey into the near future, too. As an enthusiast-focused manufacturer of lightweight sports cars, Alpine has a challenging task to successfully transition into the electric era without diluting what made the brand great in the first place.
Alpine’s EV strategy is underpinned by its ‘Dream Garage’ concept – a line-up composed of a city car in the form of the Renault 5-based A290, a family car (A390), an electrified A110 successor, and a yet-to-be-seen A310 four-seater coupé. All will be built in Dieppe. Beyond these, a hybrid V6-powered supercar, inspired by the Alpenglow concept, is slated for 2028 – a vehicle many purists hope will inspire more attainable hybrid models further down the line.
As Alpine technical and programme director Jean-Pascal Dauce explained to me outside the marque’s pop-up museum in Dieppe, the challenge isn’t simply electrifying the line-up; it’s doing so while keeping the sanctity of the brand intact. “The new A390 is a true Alpine – I have no doubt about it,” he told me. “The performance, the DNA – it’s all there. I was driving early prototypes when we were developing the torque-vectoring system, and I was convinced within five minutes.”
Happily, Jean-Pascal is a lifelong Alpine enthusiast, having purchased an A110 as his first car in 1988 aged 21. He’s also, therefore, well aware of the cynicism among his fellow enthusiasts. “I understand it – I’m a petrolhead, too. But the goal is to reinterpret Alpine’s spirit for the future. What matters is that it drives like an Alpine.”
Jean-Pascal’s confidence in Alpine’s future was reassuring – even if not everyone I spoke to in Dieppe shared his optimism. Many owners remained sceptical about electrification, citing the loss of noise, character and the added weight of EVs.
Others were more open-minded, conceding that while EVs might never win over the purists in Dieppe, they’re still essential for the marque’s survival. Many expressed hope that hybridisation might serve as a lifeline for piston-powered Alpines – at least until they return for the 80th anniversary in 2035.
While journalists have yet to sample the all-electric A390 SUV, the Renault 5-based A290 hatchback represents a promising start to Alpine’s electrified era – as I found out during a brief test on twisty local roads. In short, it’s very good – even if it’s a rather different proposition to the A110 S I drove to Dieppe. Stay tuned for my A290 test feature.
I left Dieppe with a newfound appreciation for the brand, genuinely surprised by the passion of its fans and the immense pride Dieppe holds for its sports car manufacturer-turned-Formula 1 team. The path to an electrified future is undeniably tricky for a brand known for building lightweight sports cars, yet – after witnessing the celebrations in Dieppe and hearing Jean-Pascal’s conviction – I’m optimistic Alpine will make a success of it.
