The automotive industry is in a period of upheaval, with startups bringing new sales models that could reshape what Americans know about buying cars. It’s also short on delightful sports cars.
These two phenomena could unite to give Americans access to sports coupes beloved across Europe but virtually unknown stateside.
Trade publication Automotive News reports that France’s Renault Group is talking to dealer giant AutoNation about finding a way to sell its Alpine sports cars in the United States.
Alpine — The Sports Car You Don’t Know
The previous sentence requires some unpacking.
You may know the name Renault. The company has sold its cars in America several times in its more-than-100-year history, most recently leaving the U.S. market in 1987. You may have even driven a Renault product recently. Nissan uses Renault platforms for some of its cars and SUVs through a partnership.
Today, the Renault Group operates several car brands overseas. One of them, which has never appeared in the U.S., exclusively builds sports cars. Alpine has a history dating to the 1950s. But today, it makes just one car, the Alpine A110.
It’s a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports coupe that gets its pulse-pounding performance not from great power but from a light weight that makes average power very fast. The A110 is renowned for its sharp handling and the pure fun of driving it.
Its four-headlight arrangement is odd-looking by domestic standards but would make American buyers Google what just passed them.
Since the Alfa Romeo 4C left the market, the Porsche Cayman has lacked a real challenger in the U.S. You could step up to a larger Corvette or buy a Toyota GR Supra (which is secretly German). But neither is truly a lightweight, chassis-first sports coupe with European flair like the Cayman. The A110 would give it a real friend to compete with.
AutoNation — The Car Sales Giant You Don’t Know
Finally, AutoNation may be the most important company you’ve never heard of in the automotive industry. It operates more than 300 dealerships, making it the largest dealership group in America. How significant is AutoNation to the car buying experience? Its current leader left his job as CEO of Fiat-Chrysler to take over Auto Nation. It was a bigger role.
AutoNation gave up its sales lead last year — rival Lithia Motors sold more cars in 2022. But the company still owns the most dealerships and could quickly retake the sales crown this year.
Now that that’s all out of the way, Automotive News reports that Renault is talking to AutoNation about selling Alpines in the U.S. The A110 might not be the only product to make it over — Alpine is planning a pair of electric crossovers that might come to the U.S. market alongside the 4-eyed coupe.
The talks might not produce an agreement. But, AN says, Renault CEO Luca de Meo recently told analysts the company would explore other ways to get its lithe little 2-seater into the American market if necessary.
