One Is French, One Is Chinese, Yet They Look Almost Identical

Sometimes the automotive world produces unexpected coincidences. The Alpine A290 Tour de Corse and Firefly APW Storm Eye come from different countries, different brands, and different backgrounds, yet they look remarkably similar.

Despite being created on opposite sides of the world, the two electric hatchbacks arrived at almost the same formula. Both wear yellow-and-black rally-inspired liveries, both sit on white wheels, and both feature extra lighting across the front that instantly brings old-school rally cars to mind. If you parked them side by side, most people would assume one copied the other.

The Firefly Storm Eye came first, debuting in China at the 2025 Guangzhou Auto Show. Built by tuning company APW, it was designed to show what can be done with NIO's compact Firefly EV. Alongside its bright livery and white wheels, it gets a carbon-fiber widebody kit, coilover suspension, a large rear wing, and roof rails designed to support a Thule rack. Underneath, however, it remains standard, using a 141-hp electric motor and a 42.1-kWh battery pack.

The Alpine takes a different approach. Created by designer Oscar Molero together with Atelier Alpine Barcelona, the one-off A290 Tour de Corse pays tribute to the legendary Alpine A110 rally car that competed in the 1975 Tour de Corse.

It wears a modern interpretation of that famous livery, complete with yellow paint, black-and-white graphics, white wheels, and red brake calipers. Unlike the Firefly, it also packs a bit more punch, with up to 215 hp and 221 lb-ft (300 Nm) of torque coming from its front-mounted electric motor and 52-kWh battery.

The similarities are impossible to miss, even if the two cars were created for very different reasons. The Firefly is meant to showcase customization possibilities, while the Alpine pays tribute to a famous rally car from the brand's past. Somehow, both ended up telling almost the same visual story.