Groupe Renault and Group Lotus have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to study a number of areas of cooperation, including the joint development of an electric-powered sports car and establishing a joint engineering services venture.
As part of the Alpine Business Unit development, the Alpine and Lotus teams will conduct a comprehensive feasibility study for the joint engineering, design and development of the vehicle by leveraging the resources, expertise and facilities of the respective entities in both France and the UK.
The two OEMs will also explore the development of a joint services offer that combines their engineering expertise. A collaboration to leverage Alpine’s motorsport platform covering Formula One and Endurance racing is also being considered.
Laurent Rossi, CEO of Alpine, stated, “The signing of this MoU with Lotus shows the lean and smart approach we’re implementing as part of the new Alpine brand strategy. Both brands have an amazing legacy and we are most excited to start this work together, from engineering tailored solutions, to developing a next-generation EV sports car. This collaboration along with our transformation mark the beginning of a new era in which we’ll be taking the Alpine name and line-up to the future. We’re putting F1 at the heart of our business, leveraging our in-house expertise and best-in-class partners such as Lotus to inject our cars with leading-edge performance, technology and motorisation”.
Phil Popham, CEO, Lotus Cars added, “Our companies have much in common – from a pioneering pedigree in light-weighting, to championship-winning sportscars which perform as impressively on the road as they do in the motorsports arena. It is a natural fit in many ways, and the co-development of an EV sportscar is hugely exciting for our companies, our fans and customers around the world. The joint-services element of our agreement will additionally make our engineering expertise available to those wishing to engage our innovations.”
