One thing that remains constant in the automotive industry is change, and there has been a lot of it in the last few years. Tariffs, Chinese electric vehicles, and government regulations have made long-term planning difficult, prompting many automakers to alter their plans on the fly. But not every company has been so easily dissuaded. Alpine, of all brands, could still launch in the United States.
The French performance brand first hinted at selling its cars in the US a couple of years ago. Alpine aims to expand its lineup to seven models and its reach to new markets, such as America, which remains on the table, according to Alpine CEO Philippe Krief.
That said, Krief did admit that the brand would need more than just its A110 on showroom floors. He told Auto Express:
'We need to go to the US with A110 because this is the heart of Alpine. But in the US, maybe, it won’t be enough for dealers and our partners to sell. And maybe we need to have something more. The thought we had one year ago was a big SUV. Now we are back in the phase of thinking what we need for the US market.'
Krief added that Alpine would need a high-volume model to sell alongside its sports car, but the company doesn’t "want to make the mistake of going to the US with a big car that is outside the DNA of the brand."
Part of the brand’s expanded lineup includes a larger D/E segment model, with the company’s Alpine Performance Platform architecture underpinning the range. The D/E segment model will supposedly serve as a Porsche Cayenne rival, which is the likely vehicle Alpine will bring here.
Americans love their crossovers and SUVs, so it makes sense Alpine would consider selling an SUV here, too. A small sports car like the A110 might excite enthusiasts like us, but those aren’t profitable enough to sustain an automaker—they have to appeal to the masses, and that means it’ll have to offer an SUV.
Alpine provided no timeline as to when we might see the brand selling cars in the US. It had originally planned to begin its global expansion in 2027, but we expect that it might not happen until closer to the end of the decade.
