THERE’S a new luxe player in town, and she’s dressed in blue. Going by shorthand Alpine (pronounced ‘Al-peen’, formally Société des Automobiles Alpine SAS), the French marque – which picked up Le Mans and Monte Carlo wins in its prime – last year came back from a 23-year production hiatus beginning 1995, and they’re earmarking Singapore as one of its first Asian markets to conquer.
The Renault-affiliated brand’s sole production model, the two-seater coupe Alpine A110, will be making its appearance at the upcoming Singapore Motorshow 2019 (running 10-13 Jan).
The lightfooted all-aluminium RWD speedster is powered by a 1.8L turbocharged 4-cylinder. It’s touted to make the century sprint in just over 4.5 seconds, surging to a peppy 250kmh before electronic limiters kick in.
The low-slung and streamlined exterior, finished with decidedly rounded elements such as the headlights, fields less aggressiveness than what we’re seeing today in the segment. But make no mistake, the A110 boasts some of the lowest drag coefficients amongst its contemporaries – it does just fine without a rear spoiler, which would also break the coupe’s soft aesthetic.
Inside, bucket seats with supple leather, a 7-inch, centrally mounted touchscreen and neat rows of toggles highlight the modernity guiding the brand.
Wearnes Automotive will be the authorised distributor in Singapore, and the Alpine showroom will sit at its existing address at 45 Leng Kee Road once the 8-storey Automotive Centre is completed in Q1 2019.
Said Victor Kwan, MD of Wearnes Automotive: “Wearnes is pleased to introduce the prestigious Alpine in Singapore, and we are confident that the brand’s highly anticipated rebirth will provide a fresh and rewarding alternative to satisfy the motoring purist.”
Interest runs high – there are apparently over 5000 orders across the markets for the first batch. We’ll be down at the Motorshow to get mitts on the debut models (there are three, the Legende, Premiere and Pure – unclear which are slated for Singapore, so stay tuned.
PHOTOS: Société des Automobiles Alpine SAS, Renault SAS
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