Alpine won't sell A110 coupe in the U.S.

The company\'s top exec told Leftlane that overseas markets are a priority right now.

Renault's Alpine division has put an end to the rumors that claim the new, 252-horsepower A110 coupe (pictured) will battle the Porsche 718 Cayman in the United States.

"At the moment we are not planning on selling the A110 in the U.S.," company boss Bernard Ollivier told Leftlane on the sidelines of the Geneva Auto Show. "Re-launching the brand is a big project. Right now we're focusing on markets like Europe and Japan," he explained.

Though disappointing, the decision isn't a surprise. Alpine nearly entered the U.S. market in the late 1980s, but it backtracked at the last minute because Renault's American arm was crumbling. Consequently, the company is virtually unknown on this side of the pond, so luring enthusiasts into showrooms that don't exist yet would be an uphill battle.

The story is different abroad: Alpine retains a strong image in Europe and in Japan even though it just barely returned to life after spending over 20 years gathering dust in the pantheon of dead car brands. The first A110s to roll off the line will be part of a limited-edition series named Première Édition. Production is limited to 1,955 examples, and fans claimed a vast majority of them well before the coupe made its official debut.

Photo by Ronan Glon.