Renault->ke72 and Caterham->ke1252 have joined forces to develop the new Alpine sports car. As a result of this agreement, Renault will get its coupe and Caterham will get its roadster sports car. Caterham boss Tony Fernandes is now offering new details on the company's future plans, including a possible range-topping supercar.

In a conversation with AutoCar, Fernandes said: "The ultimate ambition is to do what Porsche has done, and grow beyond being a sports car manufacturer into a mainstream car brand – SUVs, city cars, whatever the market wants. There is a long way to go, but we can see a day when we’d like to have a true halo car."

Such a decision should not be a big surprise, considering Caterham's experience in Formula 1 and its in-house composites business.

Currently the most impressive model offered by Caterham is the SP/300.R. It is powered by a supercharged 2.0-liter Ford Duratec engine that delivers 301 horsepower. It can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds and hit a top speed of 180 mph. But this is a track-only car and not many people have the chance to enjoy it. A new supercar will change Caterham's image, but until that finally happens, Caterham will focus on developing the new Alpine->ke2338 supercar.

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