End of the agreement between Renault and Caterham for Alpine
Renault and Caterham have officially confirmed something that had been expected for a few months already: the end of their agreement for the joint development of a sports car with the Alpine brand. Each will continue the development of their own vehicle.
The initial agreement had been announced with great fanfare in November 2012. At the time, Carlos Tavares, who was then number 2 at Renault, had indicated that the Alpine brand could only be revived with the contribution of another industrial partner to ensure its economic viability: “Our desire to revive Alpine depended on our ability to find a partner to ensure the economic profitability of such an adventure. From the beginning, we wanted to put the Dieppe factory at the heart of the project. Today, through our partnership with the Caterham group, we can enter a new phase: the design of a vehicle that will embody the very essence of Alpine, a vehicle that will once again redefine sporting passion. This could become a reality in three or four years.”
One year later, we met Cyril Abiteboul in the Monza paddock, the director of the Caterham F1 division, who reaffirmed that Carlos Tavares’ departure would have no impact on the future of the industrial project. In fact, it was the raison d’être of the team since it was intended to serve as a launch platform for said vehicle: « What connects us with Renault, beyond a Formula 1 engine, is an industrial project. The Caterham group has taken a stake in a joint company with Renault. So it is something that binds us very, very long term. Where F1 engine contracts are for about a year or two, here we are working on a car that is supposed to be released in early 2016. Our entire objective at Caterham is to connect the production car as much as possible with competition and Formula 1 at the forefront. »
Today, these beautiful declarations have faded away as Caterham has just announced its withdrawal from the joint venture with Renault, which now takes back 100%: « Following a mutual agreement between Renault and Caterham Group, Renault has increased its stake in Société des Automobiles Alpine Caterham to 100%, following the acquisition of the share held by Caterham Group. Renault will continue the development of its own Alpine, which is scheduled to be launched in 2016, as initially planned. Caterham Group also plans to pursue the development of its own sports car. »
Such an announcement is therefore likely to fuel rumors of the sale of the Caterham group by Tony Fernandes, even though they have been officially denied by the owner. However, the British manufacturer has just lost one of its reasons for being and thus one of its main assets. Mathias Brunner, a journalist for *Speed Week*, mentioned during the Canadian weekend discussions between Colin Kolles – the prominent figure of the Forza Rossa structure, expected in F1 – and Caterham F1.
As for the Alpine brand, one might wonder how a project that required an external investor almost two years ago could now be viable, especially when its main internal supporter has left for the competition…
With the participation of www.Racingbusiness.fr
