Renault confirms the Alpine is coming to Geneva

Despite production prototype and spy shot images there is no clear idea what to expect visually from the new Alpine. (Fred Jacob)

After a 22-year wait, the Alpine sportscar brand is set to officially race back into life on March 7.

On Thursday, Renault confirmed that the all-new two-seat, two-door mid-engined Alpine is finally ready to meet its public and will be the star car on its stand at this year's Geneva Motor Show.

The once great marque was mothballed in 1995 and, despite attempts to reinvigorate it on several occasions since the start of the Millennium, the project has hit either technical or financial difficulties each time, until now.

The new car is expected to go head-to-head with the Porsche Cayman and Porsche Boxster in terms of handling, performance, fit and finish and therefore will come with a similarly premium price tag.

And while a number of near production prototypes and spyshots have been published in recent years, there is still no clear idea about what exactly to expect when the new car is unveiled.

Away from sportscars, Renault has also confirmed that a new Captur compact crossover will be making its debut at the show on March 7 as will a third car, which Renault is referring to as "an EV surprise."

This is an area where the French firm has previous form. At the 2016 Paris motor show in September the company astounded journalists when it took the wraps off the second-generation Renault Zoe plug-in electric car and its massively improved 400 km range.

Following press conferences on March 7 and 8, the 2017 Geneva motor show opens its doors to the public on March 9.