Alpine and Lacoste unveil A290 Rallye one-off with 3D-printed lattice seat components by ERPRO

Alpine and Lacoste have introduced the "Beware of the Crocodile – Alpine Lacoste A290 Rallye," a one-off electric rally car that integrates additively manufactured seat components. The lattice-structured seat parts, produced by ERPRO using polymer powder bed fusion (SLS/MJF), are designed to balance weight, comfort, and structural performance in a motorsport context. The vehicle itself is based on the A290 Rallye customer racing platform, featuring a stiffened chassis, rally suspension, widened track, and functional aerodynamics. The collaboration highlights targeted AM application rather than full-vehicle production, with the seat inserts serving as a functional lightweighting element within a broader design and engineering package.

This project exemplifies a recurring pattern in automotive AM: selective adoption for low-volume, high-performance components where complex geometries and weight reduction provide clear technical advantage. The use of lattice structures in seating is a well-established application in motorsport and niche automotive, but the collaboration between a major OEM (Alpine, part of Renault Group) and a heritage fashion brand (Lacoste) adds a design-signal dimension. The seat components are not structural safety parts but ergonomic inserts, which lowers the qualification barrier compared to load-bearing or crash-critical parts. ERPRO’s role as the manufacturing partner underscores the service-bureau model that dominates serial production of AM parts in Europe, where specialized providers handle process qualification and production scaling rather than OEMs building in-house fleets.

For the AM industry, this is a routine but well-executed demonstration of lattice-optimized seating in a low-volume motorsport application. The real value is in the design collaboration and brand storytelling, not in any technical breakthrough. ERPRO’s execution is competent but not novel; similar lattice seat inserts have been produced for years by suppliers like CRP Technology and Farsoon’s service network. The project reinforces that polymer AM’s role in automotive remains confined to trim, ergonomic, and non-structural components, and that the path to higher-volume adoption still requires cost reduction and qualification of load-bearing applications.