A Second Stranding By Trump Might Endanger The American Alpine Career

We are a bit premature, because the Bloomberg report that serves as the basis for this article speaks of a ‘postponement’ for the time being. Alpine was originally supposed to enter the US market in 2027, presumably with the electric A390 SUV that will be unveiled soon. This would be a big step for Renault, which has not been active in the US under its brand name since 1987 and is therefore only connected to North America via the somewhat unstable relationship with alliance partners Nissan and Mitsubishi.

However, the high import duties imposed by the US Trump administration make it very difficult to sell cars built outside the US in that country, so the American plans are said to have been shelved. Bloomberg does not base this on the first passerby but says he heard it directly from Renault CFO Duncan Minto.

Possibly a major setback for Alpine, which needs the North American market for its ambitious growth plans. The intended gigantic growth is mainly driven by the introduction of the first ‘sensible’ models of Alpine, which until now only offered the sporty, impractical, and expensive A110. The electric A290 (Renault 5) and the more independent A390 should give that growth a first serious boost.

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