Alpine A390 crossover pictured for first time ahead of May reveal

Design chief Antony Villain said: “Most EVs are about just driving straight. Here, the driving sensation is developed similar to the A110. This is mainly down to the torque vectoring.”

The concept on which it is based, the A390 Beta, is itself inspired by the 2022 Alpenglow concept, which serves as “the mother of all future Alpine cars”. At its unveiling, it was described as 80% production-ready.

Elsewhere, the concept’s alloy wheels, designed in the shape of a snowflake (“both strong and light”), will light up blue when active torque vectoring is in operation. It has been confirmed that this feature will make production.

Radical elements that won't appear on the production model include the rear-hinged doors, the rear light strip-cum-spoiler (which can extend by up to 80mm to reduce drag) and the radical Formula 1-inspired interior – although these all point to “the future of the brand”, said Villain.

That concept's interior is centred around a hydraulically assisted driver’s seat, which can switch from the standard driving set-up to one that mirrors an F1 bucket. The pedals also raise, while the steering wheel transforms from wide to narrow and displays extra information such as the weather.

The cabin has also been designed for the front passenger to “share the driving experience”. As well as getting the same type of seat (although without the ability to change position), a dashboard-fitted panel in front of the passenger displays upcoming road information. According to Villain, this means they are “no longer a passenger and now a co-pilot”. 

Elsewhere, the interior's Alps theme can be seen in the white (snowy) seats and in the floor, which has been designed to mimic stones found on an Alpine pass. These light up when the car is moving, with beams travelling from front to rear to give the feeling that you’re floating over the road.

Alpine wouldn’t be drawn on the battery, range or power the production car might possess but Robert Bonetto, vice-president of Alpine Engineering, told Autocar it would “not aim to be the fastest” or the rangiest car of its type, because increasing the battery size would add weight. Instead, it will offer “the right levels” and “be something that is still competitive”, he said.