Renault->ke72 has big plans for Alpine->ke2338 and apparently, it wants its new sub-brand to follow in the footsteps of another automaker: Porsche->ke1.

That much was said by Renault's Senior Vice President of Corporate Design, Laurens van den Acker, who recently told Piston Heads of the company's expectations for Alpine.

But before it can get to that level, it needs to have a sports car that can do what the 911->ke282 did for Porsche. Lofty goals, but one Renault hopes it can achieve.

"We need to create the 911 of Alpine," van den Acker said. "Then we can do the Panamera and Cayman."

For now, Alpine's initial plans involve building an entry-level sports car that's already in the pipeline. Set to be launched in 2016, the car is expected to carry some styling cues from the classic A110 from back in the 60s with an equally possible interpretation on the A110-50 Concept that was launched last year.

No details about the car have been confirmed but there's word that it will carry a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces about 280 horsepower and mates to either a six-speed manual transmission or a dual-clutch EDC automatic. It’s expected to carry a price of about £50,000 ($76,000) per unit.

Click past the jump to read about the Renault Alpine A110-50 Concept

2012 Renault Alpine A110-50 Concept

First unveiled during the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix, the Renault-Alpine A110-50 Concept was designed to show the world the kind of direction Renault has in store for the public.

It was ridiculously awesome when we first saw it and it's still fantastic looking now, thanks in large part to its elegant, flowing bodywork that was painted in a very cool blue which refreshes and reinterprets the famous original "Alpine Blue."

In addition to that, the concept is powered by a 3.5-liter 24-valve V-6 engine mounted in a mid-rear position. The engine delivers a total of 400 horsepower and is fitted with a semi-automatic six-speed sequential.