The Alpine A290 hot hatch has been spotted with a tamed design, more traditional seat design and other concept-car casualties

Alpine caused a stir when it announced the A290_ß electric hot hatch based on the upcoming Renault 5 EV. The sporty EV concept features some attractive, futuristic design cues and an LED interior with a center-mounted driver’s seat. Now, Motor1 spy shots of what appears to be an Alpine A290 prototype test drive reveal some of the changes we can expect to see from the production version.

While the Alpine A290 appears to keep the funky, square-pattern 20-inch wheels from the concept, the car’s front interior looks much more traditional than its predecessor. Instead of a single-seat arrangement, the driver now sits in a more standard seat with a left-hand drive.

The A290 carries the same aggressive styling as the concept, but appears to have a less pronounced front bumper. The test mule is also a five-door design, rather than the three-door concept, and the doors on the test mule appear to have some 3D features that are somewhat similar to the air bumps found on last year’s Citroën cars.

At the rear, both the upper spoiler and the ducktail across the middle of the bootlid appear to be stuck around, while the vertical brake light on the bootlid is now a more traditional horizontal light bar. The back panel still appears to end in a prominent diffuser.

Unfortunately, the camouflage does a good job of hiding the A290’s lighting, and the headlights and taillights appear to bear at least some resemblance to what was shown on the concept car. The A290’s silhouette, while not obtrusive, isn’t quite as unique as the concept car, which is sure to disappoint some die-hard hatchback fans.

If you want to take a look at the spy shots for yourself, head over to Motor1’s article.

Alpine is expected to launch production of the A290 electric car in 2024.

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My interest in technology began in high school, where I rooted and upgraded my Motorola Defy, but fell into a tailspin when I realized I could overclock the i7 930 processor in my pre-built Gigabyte PC. This addiction to tinkering eventually led him to study product design at university. I believe technology should improve the lives of the people who use it, regardless of field. I love reading and writing about laptops, smartphones, software and trends in technology.