Who Owns Alpine?

Jean Rédélé founded Alpine on June 26, 1955, in Dieppe, France. Rédélé was a Renault dealer who had competed successfully in Alpine rallies with modified Renault 4CVs. His goal was to build lightweight sports cars using Renault mechanical components, housed in fiberglass bodies. The first Alpine models were built in small numbers and sold primarily to motorsport competitors.

The A110 Berlinette, introduced in 1962, became the car most associated with the Alpine name. It used a tubular steel backbone chassis with a fiberglass body, a rear-mounted Renault engine, and weighed well under 700 kilograms. This weight advantage made it extremely competitive in rallying. The A110 won the inaugural FIA World Rally Championship in 1973, the first year the championship was contested.

Renault completed its acquisition of Alpine in 1973. Under Renault ownership, Alpine produced the A310 (1971 to 1984) and the GTA (1984 to 1991), both using Renault V6 engines. Production ended in 1995 when Renault concentrated resources on its core mass-market business. The Dieppe factory continued operating for Renault but no vehicles were sold under the Alpine name for over two decades.

The revival of Alpine was announced in 2012 at the Paris Motor Show. Renault, Caterham, and Nissan were briefly involved in a joint development concept, but Caterham withdrew in 2014. Renault proceeded independently. The new Alpine A110 was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2017 and went on sale later that year. The car used an aluminum space frame with aluminum body panels, a 1.8-liter turbocharged engine producing 249 horsepower, and weighed approximately 1,080 kilograms. Press response was strongly positive.

In 2021, Renault renamed its Formula 1 team the BWT Alpine F1 Team, integrating motorsport more directly into the Alpine brand identity. The A290, Alpine's first electric model, was introduced in 2024. It is based on the Renault 5 platform and is manufactured at Renault's ElectriCity complex in Douai, France. The A390 GT crossover followed in 2026, broadening the brand's lineup beyond pure sports cars.