"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
02/16/2016 at 12:50 • Filed to: Alpine
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"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
02/16/2016 at 12:50 • Filed to: Alpine | 2
| 16 |
Would you rather Renault come to the US, or just the Alpine brand to run directly with Porsche?
Would you rather see it be redesigned into a Nissan or Infiniti model?
If it was an Infiniti what would it be called?
If it was a Nissan what would it be called?
Does anyone remember the Nissan MID4?
I would rather see the Alpine brand come to the US alone and run a Porsche/Lotus market. That said, I would be fine with the Z becoming a direct Boxster/Cayman rival. That’s what the 350Z and 370Z were going for, but then the American cars learned to change directions. But back in the day, that VQ made as much power as the V8s and was so refined you didn’t miss the boxer behind you, just the quality around you instead. So Nissan would have a $50k sportscar and a $100k monster. Then there’s room for Nismo crossovers and they can let the Mustang, Camaro, Challenger, FRS, BRZ, plus all the hot/hyper hatches handle the $24k to $50k range.
Mercedes Streeter
> Wobbles the Mind
02/16/2016 at 13:01 |
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Wait, does that MID4 have the lights of the NSX?
Also, I’d rather just have Renault come here. I mean, who here would say no to rear engine, rear wheel drive, turbo, and manual...all in a cute ass hatch?
Party-vi
> Wobbles the Mind
02/16/2016 at 13:02 |
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You want Alpine to sell vehicles in America to compete with Lotus, who has sucked ass in the US since they started selling cars here, and Porsche, who has their game on lock-down? Why not just have Alpine file for Chapter 11 right now?
Also, the Z is not and will not be a Cayman/Boxster rival. The Z is just a Mustang by Nissan, which is to say it’s all about the engine and power. The Cayman (and probably Boxster) is so good Porsche crippled it so as to not overthrow the 911 as the best car made from Stuttgart. I doubt Nissan has ever felt the need to dial-back the Z so it wouldn’t tarnish the GTR.
TheHondaBro
> Wobbles the Mind
02/16/2016 at 13:12 |
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Alpine has zero chance of being successful in the US. Renault might, as a sort of lifestyle city car that Smart has gobbled up.
RallyWrench
> Wobbles the Mind
02/16/2016 at 14:25 |
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As much as I’d love to see Alpine, nobody here knows what the hell it is. Renault should come back, build up brand equity, then bring Alpines over because I don’t see Alpine alone breaking even.
Jonee
> Wobbles the Mind
02/16/2016 at 14:54 |
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As one of the last remaining Renault fans in America, I’d love to see it return. But, I don’t see how that would make any sense, especially for Nissan since that’s who they’d be competing with. So, maybe they bring Alpine over as a boutique brand to sell at Nissan, or Infiniti dealerships? I don’t know, but I want that car.
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Wobbles the Mind
> Party-vi
02/16/2016 at 15:09 |
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I just remember when the 350Z came out, it was more comparable to the Boxster. The problem was it never evolved and the pony cars caught up while the lowest Porsches became the best Sportscars under $100k.
The thing is, Porsche and Corvette are too obvious as answers. The 4C isn’t a daily and everything is more GT than sportcar (SL, SLK55, Z4, TTS, etc.). Lotus is just like all the British brands, not enough resources to keep the models up to date. I think there is room for dedicated sportscars that start in the $60k range. I know the top end Pony cars, Hatches, and SUVs all attack this price point, but I really do think a market is opening up as everyone just wants something “different” and “completely new.” This is the only reason I see the Genesis Brand being extremely successful the first two years.
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Wobbles the Mind
> Mercedes Streeter
02/16/2016 at 15:14 |
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I have no idea! It’s like an honest to goodness NSX but every part and piece has been touched in some way so that you can’t say anything about it is the same. So weird.
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Wobbles the Mind
> TheHondaBro
02/16/2016 at 15:18 |
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I didn’t think you need to sell 300,000 cars to be successful. If they sell 10,000 Alpines annually (assuming they are $60k plus) it would keep them in the market. The they can drop in an SUV and boom we have Citroën/DS and Peugeot given reason to come back to the US.
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Wobbles the Mind
> RallyWrench
02/16/2016 at 15:21 |
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I think not knowing is great. They’ll Google the name and only see great things and heritage. Alfa Romeo did it the right way, start with the sportiest model then go for something high performance but liveable in order to build the brand. The difference is that Alpine just needs to actually give us the damn cars!
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Party-vi
> Wobbles the Mind
02/16/2016 at 15:23 |
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Nissan is also making the Q60, which means there won’t be a better Z car for a while (Nissan won’t make a Z faster than a Q60 I’m positive).
As far as $50-60k sports cars, there’s plenty of room for Alpine as long as you don’t think about the S5, TT/RS, Z4 (is it dead yet?), M4, AMG C Class coupe, Lexus RC, SLK, Jag F-Type, Cayman, Boxster, etc.
Scott
> Wobbles the Mind
02/16/2016 at 17:33 |
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Personally I love Renault, and I have been seriously considering importing an Alpine A110. I would love to see Renault return to the US, although I fear that they may try to compete with Fiat, and would return with a massive advertising campaign that would kill some of the magic. Same with Alpine, I suspect enable to make it worth while they would need to sell in such high volume, and for me I always love cars that are unusual, that most people do not know what they are.
ranwhenparked
> Wobbles the Mind
02/16/2016 at 20:38 |
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I would vote Alpine. Renault doesn’t sell much that’s a compelling alternative to Nissan or that couldn’t be easily rebadged as a Nissan.
gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
> Wobbles the Mind
02/16/2016 at 22:06 |
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too pretty to be an infiniti.
pip bip - choose Corrour
> Wobbles the Mind
02/17/2016 at 04:19 |
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Alpine.
Kookanoodles
> Mercedes Streeter
02/19/2016 at 03:34 |
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I think you’d be disappointed by the Twingo. I haven’t driven one myself, but apparently they did everything they could with the setup and traction control to make it feel FWD and understeer a bit.
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Kookanoodles
> TheHondaBro
02/19/2016 at 03:35 |
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Renault has a full range, you know, not just small cars.