Alpine’s Awesome A290 Hot Hatch Looks Even Cooler Thrashing Up The Arctic

Since 2017, Alpine has been pedaling one of the best one-car lineups out there, with the glorious A110 winning our hearts despite never going on sale in the U.S. Now, the French brand has a new car that’s sure to break our hearts too, and it’s just been spied winter testing in the Arctic.

Reggie Watts and His Hand-Me-Down Renault

Called the A290, the new car is an all-electric hot hatch from the French brand and shares its underpinnings with the equally-awesome Renault 5 E-Tech concept car from 2021. The A290 is now well on its way to being a reality though, and Alpine has just shared a bunch of awesome pictures of it tearing up the Arctic in winter testing.

Perfect car shape. Photo: Alpine

The new car was spied in Sweden, where Alpine goes to fine-tune the new car and finalize the development of the prototype. It also appears to have had a bunch of fun in the snow in the process.

“The target of this important stage is to confirm the direction we have taken with handling and agility, which is part of our DNA on low grip conditions,” said Philippe Krief, Alpine CEO, in a release shared by the company.

“To fine-tune its development so that it can be effective in all circumstances and all-weather conditions, the winter development stage of the A290 is crucial as it is a completely new car. Our engineering team has scrutinized all the criteria, and the results bode extremely well for its launch in the coming months.”

Look at that cute little face. Photo: Alpine

This all sounds very promising, and much like the final stages in a car’s development, which is good as Alpine originally slated the A290 for launch later in 2024. With its launch is fast approaching, the team has been working on the car’s responsiveness and agility. The team also worked through various equipment that will be installed on the finished car, including its stability controls and the all-important heater.

Details about what to expect from the production car remained slim on the ground, except for a few new nuggets of juicy gossip about the car’s steering wheel. Apparently, the A290 will come with an exclusive Nappa leather Alpine sport steering wheel, which has a flattened surface and a center point. The wheel will give drivers control of the car, as well as three important modes: Overtake, Recharge and Drive.

More cars like this, please. Photo: Alpine

Another important detail Alpine shared about the test was that the dimensions of the production car have now been finalized, with it measuring in at 157” long, 71” wide and 60” tall, which puts it around the same size as a Mini but a little taller.

So, is the Alpine A290 a car you’re excited to see in the flesh, or is it just another small car that will crash and burn if it ever sets foot in America?