New tri-motor Alpine A390 to wear innovative Michelin all-season rubber as standard 

While the new A390 looks like a radical departure from Alpine’s ideals, thanks to the help of a revolutionary Michelin tyre, it drives just like its flyweight siblings. Don’t believe us? Here’s how it does the impossible… 

Two landmark firsts for a pair of renowned French brands — that’s what have here. One: it’s the first time Michelin has produced an all-season tyre dedicated to sportier applications. And two: it’s the first time Alpine has ventured into larger, crossover-style territory. 

We say crossover style, as Alpine isn’t calling this striking new creation an SUV, SAV, or even CUV. Instead, the A390 has been bestowed the title of Sport Fastback. While that might sound like semantics, when you take a closer look, it’s an important distinction to make. 

Sitting noticeably lower to the ground than rivals like Porsche’s new electric Macan and Cupra’s shark-nosed Tavascan, the A390 is closer in stature to a hatchback like VW’s Golf. That means the Alpine has a lower centre of gravity, creating a solid foundation for pin-sharp handling — but more on that later. What makes the A390 so intriguing, is the fact you don’t need to compromise on practicality to get that engaging driving feel. With a 532-litre boot and a cocooning-yet-comfortable cabin, families should find this fastback easier to live with than your standard 5-door hatch. 

And it’s the same story with Michelin’s all-new, CrossClimate 3 Sport tyre. Although you’re probably already familiar with the brand’s highly-popular all-season offering, that last word — sport — makes all the difference. Taking the CrossClimate 3’s incredible year-round versatility and honing it for use on high-performance sports cars, the all-new Sport variant unites the outright grip and feel of a summer tyre, with true 3PMSF-certified winter capability. 

The story doesn’t stop there, either. There are three more characters on this tyre which carry a whole lot of weight: A39. Signifying a bespoke Michelin marked tyre, the A39 designation means that Michelin worked in close collaboration with Alpine to create a product specifically tailored to the A390’s strengths. Therefore, not only does the tyre have to seamlessly deploy up to 464 bhp and dive into corners with the agility of the firm’s far lighter A110 sports car, but also optimise winter performance and energy efficiency. Granted, the A390’s all-wheel-drive system and clever torque vectoring certainly help, but it’s still no small feat when you’re working with the ‘the largest and most powerful Alpine ever built.’ 

But the CrossClimate 3 Sport was up to the task. In fact, according to Michelin, ‘the process of tyre approval was unusually quick, with two of the four OE tailored options fully meeting the defined performance criteria in the very first round of development — a testament to Michelin’s OE tyre team.’ Small wonder, then, that it’s already received major industry accolades including the 2025 Ze Award for Technological Innovation. 

Handily, it’s not just A390 owners who stand to benefit from Michelin’s breakthrough. The CrossClimate 3 Sport’s unique blend of all-weather ability and fine handling dynamics, mean it’s great for sports cars of all shapes and sizes. Whether your pride and joy is a Porsche Boxster or a BMW M4, with CrossClimate 3 Sport, it doesn’t need to become a garage queen when the weather turns frosty.  

To quote Renault Group CEO, Luca de Meo, “someone once said that life begins at 70, and that could well be true for Alpine with the arrival of this second model in the Dream Garage…” With thanks in part to Michelin’s pioneering new sporty all-season tyre, we think Alpine’s dynamic new A390 sport fastback could show the world that “…the soul matters more than the software.” 

Ultimately, then, both Alpine’s A390 and Michelin’s CrossClimate 3 Sport tyre can be considered true segment pioneers. The Alpine, for proving that electric crossovers — despite their extra size and weight — can still engage and entertain behind the wheel. And the Michelin, for showing that all-season tyres can be sporty too. 

Do you think Alpine’s A390 and Michelin’s CrossClimate 3 Sport are a winning combination? Let us know how you feel about Michelin’s new performance-oriented CrossClimate line.  

Hero credit: Alpine © Laurent VILLARON 

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