Alpine refuses to go down the same path that Hyundai believes is the right one. So with fake engine sound and artificial gear changes in performance models.
Alpine refuses to equip the upcoming electric version of the A110 sports car with "fake engine sound" and artificial gear changes.
It is otherwise in the style of what Hyundai entices with in the performance version of the Ioniq 5 – called 'N'. The French automaker's CEO, Philippe Krief, has stated that the brand would rather take a different approach to electric cars.
With the Ioniq 5 N, Hyundai has designed an electric car to imitate the combustion engine's most recognizable features. Namely the sound of the engine and the gear change.
In this way, the South Koreans claim that the individual driver is enabled to simulate the 'feeling' of a car with a combustion engine. Blue. because what Hyundai calls engine sound is sent out through the car's speakers.
When Krief was asked whether Alpine could conceivably imitate the unloading, according to Autocar there was a very clear rejection. It's not going to happen.
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– It (the engine sound, ed.) is fake. It's really fake. I don't like that sort of thing, he said.
At the same time, the director emphasized that the next generation of the A110, which will be a pure electric car, should not sound like a car with a combustion engine, since it "is an electric car."
However, Krief opened up the possibility that you could implement some kind of sound if that is what the customers want.
"We could make electric cars have the sound or feel of combustion engine cars," he added.
Krief highlighted that Alpine may choose a different release than the simulated engine sound already found in their new A290 model.
– We could find something that is not the same, but similar, Krief said.
He also emphasized that it would be relatively easy to make such a release.
The new A110 is expected to be launched in 2026 and will be Alpine's third electric car, following the A290, which is based on the new Renault 5, and the production version of the A390_B concept, which was presented to the public at the Paris Motor Show earlier this month.
Although Alpine previously tested an electric powertrain in the existing A110, the replacement will be based on a platform dedicated to electric cars. A platform to be shared with the Porsche 911-like 2+2 model, the A310, expected to be launched before the end of this decade.
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