Automaker behind F1 team set to deliver electric performance SUV to smash the Porsche Macan, Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and Kia EV6 GT

Renault’s performance subsidiary Alpine will reveal its first-ever electric SUV at the Paris auto show this October.

Known as the A390_β, or A390 Beta, the French brand’s new model will arrive to tackle the likes of the Porsche Macan and Audi Q6 e-tron in the increasingly competitive performance electric SUV segment.

It’s thought to closely resemble the A390, Alpine’s coupe-like SUV that’s set to enter production later this year, which has already been spotted testing under heavy camouflage.

It follows the release of the brand’s Renault 5-based, all-electric 162kW A290 hot hatch in Europe this summer, the newest addition to the brand’s “dream garage”, which it hopes will bring it into contention as one of Europe’s premium automakers.

Alpine are also planning on unveiling a hydrogen-powered prototype in Paris.

If the A390 Beta is to challenge the Porsche Macan in the electric performance SUV segment, it will certainly have its work cut out for it.

We already know the new Macan, which is set to arrive before the end of this year, will be an all-electric beast. The base model produces 250kW/563Nm for a sprint time from 0-100km/h of 5.7 seconds. Porsche claims a range of 613km.

That output will rise to staggering 470kW for the top-spec Macan Turbo, which will deliver a 0-100km/h time of just 3.3 seconds, while range will drop to 591km.

A 100kWh battery pack will come as standard across the range, which will be available in four-trims, while all Macan’s, excluding the single-motor base model, will be available in dual-electric-motor, all-wheel drive setups.

The Macan will also be built on Porsche’s 800-volt architecture, which enables a top DC charging rate of 270kW, for a claimed charge time of 10 to 80 per cent in 21 minutes.

While details on the A390 will have to wait until it is revealed in Paris, Alpine’s performance credentials may work in its favour when it comes to tackling Porsche.

It has been building sports and racing cars since 1954, with Renault acquiring the automaker back in 1973. Alpine ceased production in 1995, before returning in 2017 under the guise of Renault with the production of the two-door, petrol-powered A110, a 215kW/320Nm rear-engine sports coupe.

The Alpine nameplate returned in 2021, the same year Renault instated the Alpine Formula 1 racing team.

Alpine vehicles are currently unavailable in Australia, but should the brand find its feet in Europe, there’s every likelihood that they could be in the near future.