Alpine A190: The Affordable Electric Hot Hatch Alpine Should Build

Few brands have reinvented themselves as successfully as Alpine. The A290 has already shown that an electric hot hatch can be genuinely exciting, but there may still be room for something even smaller. In this Design Studio feature, we imagine the Alpine A190: a compact performance EV based on the Renault Twingo platform, positioned as the spiritual successor to cars like the Twingo GT.

Rather than competing directly with larger hot hatches such as the Vauxhall Corsa GSE, the A190 would target rivals like the Abarth 500e, combining compact dimensions with lightweight engineering, distinctive styling and Alpine's growing reputation for driver-focused electric performance.

As the brand expands beyond a single sports car into a complete range, an accessible entry-level model like this could become the perfect gateway into Alpine ownership, bringing everyday usability and genuine character to one of Europe's smallest electric cars.

Our rendering doesn't attempt to disguise its Twingo roots. Instead, it embraces the compact proportions while introducing a more purposeful Alpine identity through subtle but effective styling changes, including a wider stance, revised bumpers, bespoke lighting details and a sportier overall character.

Rather than an unrealistic fantasy, this feels like a production-ready interpretation of what an entry-level Alpine could become.

With Alpine already using Renault Group's AmpR Small platform for the A290, adapting the same architecture for a smaller, Twingo-based A190 would be a logical and technically achievable next step as the brand continues to expand.

When the second-generation Renault Twingo arrived in 2007, Renault offered one of Europe's most accessible performance line-ups. Buyers could choose the playful Twingo GT, the brilliant Clio Renaultsport 197, the larger Mégane Renaultsport, or even the surprisingly rapid Mégane dCi 175, a diesel hot hatch renowned for its effortless torque.

Three sizes, multiple personalities and every one comfortably below the £20,000 mark when new. Today, the picture is very different. The only true series-production hot hatch within the Renault Group is the Alpine A290, with prices starting above £30,000.

With the next-generation electric Twingo expected to start at around £17,000-£18,000, a compact Alpine A190 could provide the perfect entry point into the brand, recapturing some of the affordability and fun that once made Renault's small performance cars so appealing.

If the standard A190 represents Alpine's accessible future, our A190 3E concept explores what happens when the engineers are given almost complete freedom. Inspired by the extraordinary Renault 5 Turbo 3E, this wide-bodied, two-door machine pushes the compact Twingo platform close to its limits with aggressive aerodynamics, huge arches and unmistakable motorsport character.

Renault Group's AmpR Small platform is already capable of supporting front-, rear- and even all-wheel drive, making a more extreme flagship technically feasible. Rather than matching the Renault 5 Turbo 3E's £135,000 price tag and 540hp output, an Alpine version could carve out its own niche with around 250-300hp, rear- or all-wheel drive and a price in the high £40,000s.

It would be the modern equivalent of the Clio V6: a halo model designed to grab headlines rather than chase sales.

Whether the A190 itself ever reaches production remains to be seen, but with the platform, powertrains and an affordable electric Twingo already on the way, a compact Alpine feels like one of the brand's most believable opportunities yet.

It would reconnect Alpine with buyers who simply want an affordable, lightweight hot hatch, just as Renault did so successfully two decades ago.

(Image Credits: The New Yardstick)