When we got word that Renault Alpine->ke2338 had a new sports car->ke506 in the works, we made a rendering that depicted what it could look like. When the Geneva Motor Show kicked off this year, we got to lay eyes on the Renault Alpine Vision Concept, a model that's said to show off about 80 percent of the design cues that will be used on the French brand’s new production model. It was pretty exciting that our rendering was more or less on point compared to the Vision Concept, but now there's even more exciting news about the future production model.

Even though Renault->ke72 has an alliance with Nissan,->ke62 the brand may also be able to tap into an agreement with Daimler to share platforms and drivetrains. Renault’s Executive Vice President of product and planning, Bruno Ancelin, has said, “We have to reduce the diversity of the engines we will use , which is not against Alpine having a line-up of high-power engines.” He continued, “We have two solutions. Either we take one that is available in the Alliance and we fine tune it for more power. Or we can buy on the market. I heard in the presentation of the new DB11 from Aston Martin->ke13 they are buying their V8s from AMG.->ke8 That is possible, too. We have some cooperation with Daimler. We can buy engines on the market – there is no problem to share that.”

So, with any luck, we could see the Alpine A110 production model sport an engine built by none other than Mercedes-AMG. Of course, details at this point are virtually non-existent, but now we finally have an idea of what might power Alpine's long-awaited sports car. The question now is: If Renault Alpine does tap into that relationship with Daimler, what engine will it pick? And, will Mercedes-AMG engines be used for future models as well? We’ll have to wait and see for sure, but keep reading to hear what I think about it.

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Why it Matters

If Renault Alpine taps into Daimler as an engine supplier for the brand’s new sports car, then it's highly likely Mercedes-AMG will supply engines for future models as well. Ancelin has said that Renault Alpine could have a coupe,->ke141 convertible,->ke144 and even a hatchback,->ke304 saying that the brand could have “everything that is usable in a sporty brand.” If Mercedes-AMG does become the engine supplier for Renault Alpine, the brand's first sports car could use the 2.0-liter, turbocharged, four-cylinder that powers the Mercedes-AMG CLA45 Coupe. That engine puts out 375 horsepower, which is enough to push the CLA45 to 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds. If this engine is used, the Renault Alpine sports car would likely experience the same performance, if not a little better depending on weight and overall configuration. With that method of thinking, it's only logical that the larger future models from Renault Alpine would use the 4.3-liter V-8 found in the Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe. That engine pumps out 451 horsepower, which is enough to move the C63 coupe past the 60-mph benchmark in just 4.4 seconds. If that's the way things work out, the future might just be a bright one for Renault Alpine.

Renault Alpine

Read our speculative review of the Renault Alpine A110 here.