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January 26, 2015
Alpine and Caterham to Jointly Develop New Car | Renault
Alpine
Caterham
Alpine and Caterham to Jointly Develop New Sports Car
Alpine, a subsidiary brand of Renault, and Caterham, which continues to produce lightweight sports cars represented by the "Super Seven" in the UK, announced on November 5th that they have formed a partnership to jointly develop a new sports car.
Text by HORIGUCHI Yoshihiro (OPENERS)
A Collaborative Effort Between Similar Brands
Alpine and Caterham will jointly begin development of a new sports car. Alpine, founded by Jean Rédélé in 1955, began with the production of the "A106" based on Renault's "4CV" and is an automobile manufacturer characterized by lightweight, agile, and flowing styling. In the 1970s, it achieved victories in rallies and the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, and currently handles the production of sports models under the Renault umbrella.
Caterham, on the other hand, began manufacturing the "Seven," with roots in Lotus, in the 1950s. It continues to produce a model that embodies the essence of a sports car, maintaining its original form.
The partnership between the two companies will commence in January of next year, with Caterham acquiring 50 percent of the shares of "Automobiles Alpine Renault," which is currently 100 percent owned by Renault.
The new company name will be "Société des Automobiles Alpine Caterham," and its headquarters will be located at Alpine's Dieppe factory. This historic factory, built by Alpine in 1969 in the Normandy region of France, has produced many vehicles, including the brand's signature "A110." Even after the production of Alpine-branded vehicles concluded, it has continued to produce Renault's sports models to this day, such as the "Mégane R.S." and "Clio R.S.", and "Twingo R.S.".
This collaboration is not a merger, but rather a venture that will see "Renault," Alpine's parent company, "Renault Sport," and "Caterham Technologies and Innovation (CT&I)" of the Caterham Group, contribute their respective technologies to jointly research, develop, and manufacture new vehicles.
Consequently, this will not affect the current models or brands of Renault or Caterham, and Caterham vehicles will continue to be produced at their factory in Dartford, UK, as before.
The vehicles planned for this project are expected to embody the DNA of the Alpine brand, which prioritizes lightweight agility, and Caterham's DNA of "accessible fun." The launch is anticipated within three to four years. With both companies possessing F1 teams that continuously research cutting-edge technology, and brands that offer lightweight, affordable sports cars, the results of this project are eagerly awaited.