by Renault planned to launch Alpine in the U.S. within two years to boost global growth.
CEO Luca de Meo aimed to create seven new electric cars and achieve revenue of $9.1 billion by 2030.
The hot hatch A290 GT leads the lineup, followed by the upcoming crossover A390.
Import tariffs, which took effect on April 2, have global consequences as they have impacted the economies of most countries (including America). The latest victim is Alpine, owned by Renault, which planned to launch its cars in the U.S. market in 2027—now this plan is on hold.
The initially planned introduction of the sports sub-brand in the United States is likely to be delayed as it waits for the dust from Trump’s tariffs to settle. This is part of the French brand’s decision to suspend some projects to reduce costs and minimize economic impact if the trade war between the U.S. and the rest of the world slows growth, explained CFO Duncan Minto.
As Minto reported, a delay under these circumstances is “completely normal.” This is happening despite the fact that expansion into the world’s second-largest car market was key to CEO Luca de Meo’s plans to increase the sports car manufacturer’s revenue to over €8 billion ($9.1 billion) by 2030. Even though only 4,585 cars were sold last year.
While the market for two-door sports cars like the Alpine 110 is shrinking, the electric vehicle market is growing, and that’s why the brand introduced its first-ever electric car last June at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. It’s a hot hatch based on the Renault 5 E-Tech, with more aggressive styling and, in the Performance version, a single 217 hp electric motor driving the front wheels, which is more than enough for a 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) sprint in 6.4 seconds and a range of 236 miles. In the less powerful version, simply labeled A290 GT, the figures are lower: 178 hp and a second slower to 62 mph.
This will be followed by the , which will be unveiled this year and is likely to find greater popularity among American buyers. By 2030, Alpine plans to launch five more cars, so de Meo’s plans for rapid brand growth make sense. Or, rather, they did until Trump fulfilled his promise of “America First” and imposed strict import tariffs.
