Lotus and Alpine will no longer jointly develop electric sports cars for their respective product lines, the two automakers said this week in separate statements.
The two said that the decision to part was made by both parties and reached amicably, and both remained open to the possibility of future cooperation.
Neither said they would abandon plans to add an electric sports car to their lineups.
The news was first reported on Monday by auto news (requires registration) and follow a report of Bloomberg suggested last week that Alpine wants to develop its own electric sports car.
Lotus and Alpine first announced plans to jointly develop an electric sports car in 2021, after signing a Memorandum of Understanding. According to the plan, Lotus is primarily responsible for developing the platform that will be used for the Lotus model codenamed Type 135and for Alpine successor to the current A110. Lotus is rumored to be Elise’s successor.
Lotus has previously said it plans to launch its sports car in 2026 while Alpine has hinted at a similar date for its car.
Lotus in 2021 unveiled the platform, it’s called eSports. The platform can support batteries with capacities up to 99.6 kWh and a dual-motor powertrain producing up to 871 hp.
A decade ago, Alpine forged a similar partnership with Caterham to jointly develop a mid-engine sports car platform. In that case, Caterham pulled out of the deal but Alpine went ahead alone and completed the platform the carmaker used for Current A110.
