- Alpine has been spotted with a test mule for a modern A310 sports car
- The modern A310 is expected to arrive around 2028 and will be powered by batteries
- It will use the Alpine Performance Platform, which debuts in late 2026 in an electric A110 sports car
Alpine is on a mission to deliver a seven-car lineup by the end of the decade, a lineup that will include a spiritual successor to the A310 sports car from the 1970s, powered by batteries.
Engineers from the French performance marque were recently spotted with an early test mule for what’s thought to be the electric A310. A test mule is an early-stage prototype where engineers use a makeshift body, often taken from an existing vehicle, to house the mechanical package of the vehicle being developed.
In the case of the A310, they were using a custom body that will likely have little in common with the final design, apart from perhaps some general proportions. The butterfly doors of the test mule may also be retained for the final design.
There’s still a long way to go in development, as the car isn’t expected to start sales until 2028, at which point Alpine may even have a presence in the U.S. Alpine has previously said it is targeting a U.S. launch around 2027, though initially with a pair of SUVs in the same segments as Porsche’s Macan and Cayenne.
1971 Alpine A310 police car
Like the original A310, the modern car will feature 2+2 seating, helping to differentiate it from a smaller and lighter electric A110 two-seater sports car, which is set to replace the current gas-powered A110 either in late 2026 or early 2027. Both models will be based on Alpine’s own Alpine Performance Platform (APP), being developed by Hypercar Alpine, the former skunkworks that worked on Renault Formula 1 power units, currently used by the Alpine F1 team. An earlier plan had the electric A110 being developed jointly with Lotus.
Alpine has said the APP platform will focus on lightweight construction and incorporate advanced torque vectoring systems, made possible by multi-motor powertrains. Though yet to be confirmed, the A310 is expected to use the same three-motor setup (one at the front and two at the rear) debuting in May in the A390 compact crossover.
Like the A390, the A310 will likely also have a steering wheel with controls for OV (Overtake) and RCH (Recharge), mimicking some of the controls found on the steering wheel of Alpine’s F1 car. OV is likely a power boost function, while RCH could adjust the severity of brake energy recovery.
Alpine’s naming strategy follows a pattern: the “A” represents the brand, the first digit indicates the vehicle’s size and positioning, and the last two digits distinguish sporty models from lifestyle models. Sporty models use “10,” like the A110 sports car, while lifestyle models use “90,” as seen in the recently launched A290 hatch and upcoming A390 crossover. A supercar is also in the pipeline.
