Alpine’s grand plans include breaking America (and China)

Alpine has confirmed its ambitions to develop into an €8-billion company by 2030. To meet these ambitions, Luca de Meo, overlord at Renault Group envisions world domination… or at least, a successful move into the US and Chinese markets.

De Meo expects the company to break even in 2026, trading on its motorsport credentials and exploring new markets, including the USA and China – the latter in which it expects to pull €1 billion revenues.

De Meo said: “Alpine is the brand for motorsport and state-of-the-art technology enthusiasts. Excellence is its focus. Only two years ago, Alpine was in a dead-end, lacking clear perspectives.

“Since then, we have turned it into a fully-fledged car manufacturer, bringing together outstanding assets: a top-class engineering centre, a unique manufacturing know-how, expanding distribution network. On top of it, Alpine’s entry into F1 prepares it to reach new heights, offering the brand the prestige and recognition attached to the pinnacle of motorsport.”

We already know from De Meo’s ‘mini-Ferrari’ comments that the Italian had sporting ambitions, but the plans announced go further. The Alpine Performance Platform (APP) will be configured for 100 per cent electric sports cars and 2030 will signal – if things go to plan – seven cars in the Alpine range.

To get to that point, De Meo and Laurent Rossi, bossman for Alpine, are going to have to work hard. There’s only one Alpine in production thus far, the unequivocally special A110 – it’s the best-selling sports cars in France. Bien sûr.

Since 2017, De Meo’s championed the brand unreservedly – something Rapha Linari, designer of the A424_ß Alpine Hypercar emphasised when speaking with TG.com at Le Mans 2023. According to its own stats, Alpine has produced a universally admired sports car, top five in Europe. Its 2022 revenues are up 33 per cent on 2021 and it has a seven-month wait on A110 orders.

What’s more, like Glasto tickets, the A110 special editions have sold out within 30 minutes. Having now entered the top 150 most valuable brands in France, Alpine is said to be worth €550 million.

Rossi said: “Our goal is to expand from a niche segment brand to a fully-fledged global brand. By combining a larger range with international expansion, we target an operating margin over 10 per cent by 2030, and thereby put our business model on a permanent footing.”

Big dreams need deep pockets. Fortunately, Renault Group has them, calling on each subsidiary to champion Alpine to the target. Bon chance.