Lotus has announced that it and Alpine have signed a memorandum of understanding that will study several areas of cooperation between the two companies, including the joint development of an electric sports car. The automotive industry is pushing heavily into electrification with both hybrids and fully electric cars. Moving towards electric propulsion is a big priority in the UK as many cities have areas where only electric cars can operate.
Lotus says that it and Alpine will conduct a comprehensive feasibility study for jointly engineering, designing, and developing an electric sports car. The project would leverage the resources, expertise, and facilities of both companies in France and the UK.
Lotus and Alpine also plan to explore the development of a joint services offer that would combine engineering expertise. The collaboration would leverage the Alpine motorsports platform covering Formula 1, Formula E, and Endurance racing. While neither brand is particularly well known by the masses in the US, both have a significant legacy and are known in the UK.
Both companies have produced some very iconic sports cars over the years. Lotus CEO Phil Popham says that the announcement is the first step in defining a “hugely rewarding collaboration” between the two brands. Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi says that the signing of the agreement with Lotus shows the lean and smart approach the company is implementing as part of the new Alpine brand strategy.
There is no indication of what type of sports car might result from the collaboration. Electric sports cars tend to have incredible acceleration capability thanks to lots of torque available as soon as you press the pedal. It will be interesting to see what comes out of the collaboration in the future.
