Alpine and Lotus won’t work on an electric sports car after all

Alpine and Lotus have agreed to disagree over the electric sports car they agreed to co-develop two years ago, which is a long-winded way of saying… it ain’t happening.

In January 2021 the two companies signed a memorandum of understanding to explore how feasible it would be to work together on a fully electric sports car, slated to launch some time in 2025.

The end product would’ve replaced the Alpine A110, while Lotus’s version - thought to be called the Type 135, for the time being anyway - has already been teased.

Alas, the two cars will no longer share any DNA. In a joint statement, the companies said: “Lotus and Alpine have been collaborating on a future EV sports car vision for more than two years, during which time a strong relationship between the two companies has developed.

“As with any collaboration following an MoU, the outcome was not guaranteed. We have decided not to progress with the joint development of a sports car for Alpine.

“This is a mutual decision reached amicably and we will continue to discuss other future opportunities.”

Exactly why this joint EV sports car will go no further is a mystery for now, although it wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine two voices trying to agree on how to shed weight from an electric car (of all things) being… a challenge.

All is not lost, though: last month Alpine revealed its A290_β hot hatch concept, which will morph into a production car in due course. Keep the fun electric projects alive please, car makers.