By: Jason Woosey
Paris - Renault is getting ready to pick a fight with Hilux and Ranger as it puts the finishing touches on a one-tonne bakkie that will evolve from the Alaskan Concept you see here.
You don't have to tone down too many of the details to imagine what the final showroom product will look like and the bits beneath the skin don't leave much to the guessing game either. Rather than go its own way in a sector that it's new to, logic dictates that the new Renault will be based on alliance partner Nissan's new Navara.
Technically this opens the door to it being built in South Africa, given that the Navara is likely to be produced in Rosslyn, but this is quite a long shot and we're probably getting ahead of ourselves here as Renault SA has yet to confirm whether the new bakkie will even make it to our shores, although it is currently under consideration.
GLOBAL REACH
Unlike the unibody Oroch pick-up that was created for the South American market, the new one-tonner will be a traditional bakkie aimed at markets around the globe when it goes on sale following its unveiling in the first half of 2016.
Though Renault is calling it a “high-end pick-up” created for both business and leisure use, it will offer a wide range of body styles and powertrains. As with the forthcoming Mercedes one-tonner that'll also share the alliance's platform, this Renault will have a style of its own, as the concept clearly illustrates.
While the exact technical details remain under wraps, Renault portrays the Alaskan Concept as quite a worker bee, with a strong chassis, high ground clearance and a long, wide load bin that swallows a tonne. The business end also has three longitudinal recesses for securing equipment as well as storage bins on its sides for securing more delicate equipment.
Beneath the bonnet is Renault's 2.3-litre twin-turbodiesel engine, which is also fitted to the new Nissan Navara, in 118kW and 140kW guises.
WATCH THE CONCEPT IN ACTION: