Renault to revive Alpine brand

Renault's marketing boss Patrick Blain has stated that Renault has several sports cars planned for the future with the first model planned for 2010. He confirmed that Renault is likely to brand these cars 'Alpine' after the marque was abandoned halfway through the nineties.

In recent years, Renault have invested extensively in motorsports. It is the main power behind the Renault world series and has booked worldwide known successes with Fernando Alonso in Formula One.

However, the brand does not have any sports car on sale for the road and cannot get into the luxury market. When talking about the first of the new Alpine models, Blain described it as being a “radical sports car” and not just a sports version of a regular model. Other cars Renault is considering include new premium models such as new versions of the Vel Satis and Avantime lines.