We’ve been waiting for a long time for the debut of Renault’s->ke72 new 2016 Renault Alpine sports car. The global financial crisis in 2009 caused a major delay in the revival of Alpine. In 2012 we were blessed by the 2012 Renault Alpine A110-50 Concept, and by the time we hit the middle of 2013, it was announced that Alpine planned to follow the footsteps of Porsche with a 911-type vehicle. We thought we would see the new sports car->ke506 in 2015, but that was delayed due to design issuess, at which point it was assumed it would debut sometime next year. Finally, just two months ago, we learned that to make the “perfect sports car” its delay would yet again be set back to 2017. Now some new information has surfaced, and if you’re a fan of the Alpine brand from the past, you’ll be delighted to hear it.

This time I’m not reporting about another setback, but instead I’m here to tell you about future plans to introduce a second road-going Alpine model by 2018. This new model will be Alpine's first foray into the SUV->ke145 or crossover->ke288 market, and speculation has it that the move to make an SUV was likely inspired by Nissan's->ke62 mission to morph its Z line->ke2077 into a sports crossover. Very few details have been released about the future SUV, but our sources indicate that its development is moving along ahead of schedule. Will the new sports car be a success? Will we see a new SUV or crossover from the Alpine line as planned? Only time will tell, but keep reading to see what I think we’ll see in the coming years.

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Why it matters

With all the delays and setbacks of Alpine’s sports car, plus the recent spy shots of what our men in black think may be the upcoming sports car, I think Renault is going to surprise us all. I wish we had more details and specs, but if it is competitively priced in its segments, I think customers will be knocking down the doors to get one. Considering the 2010 Renault DeZir Concept has been delayed and the next potential Alpine model is ahead of schedule, I don’t foresee any more delays for Alpine. Well, that is as long as they can keep up with the demand for that new sports car.

2016 Renault Alpine

You can read our speculative review here.