Alpine won’t fit the upcoming A110 EV with “fake” gearing as Hyundai has with the Ioniq 5 N, nor will it pump the cabin with synthetic engine noise, the French brand’s CEO has said.
In the Ioniq 5 N - the first purpose-built electric hot hatch – an artificial gearbox can be operated through paddles, accurately simulating a internal combustion engine's power delivery. Simulated engine noise is also played through the speakers.
When asked if the A110 EV could adopt a similar set-up, especially in light of the Ioniq 5 N’s positive reception, Philippe Krief said: “This is fake. This is really fake. I don’t like fake things like that.”
He added that the next A110 should not sound like it has an ICE because it “is an electric car”, although he added that “we could make electric cars have the sound or things of ICE cars” if customers demanded it.
It's possible that Alpine will use a man-made sound instead of simulated engine noise, as in its new A290 hot hatch.
“We could find something that is not the same but [similar],” said Krief. “It is very easy to do that.”
Due in 2026, the new A110 will be Alpine's third electric car, following the A290 (derived from the new Renault 5) and the production version of the A390_B concept being unveiled at the upcoming Paris motor show.
Although Alpine has previously tested an electric powertrain in the existing A110 structure, the new car will sit on a bespoke platform. This will be shared with a Porsche 911-style 2+2 called the A310, earmarked for launch later this decade.
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Nobody yet has come up with a sound that when you hear it you stop and turn your head and go whoaaa!, giving an EV a fake gearbox sound would soon get boring, the fun of going fast imo has gone, in an EV it's jst too easy but boring because you know it's so easy to do.
I think Alpine are going the right way, I don't get why anyone would buy an electric car and, then want to try and pretend they didn't...