With one third of the world's commercial vehicle sales going to pickups, it's hardly a surprise that Renault wants in - it has been the top-selling European commercial vehicle brand for some time, after all. And with partner Nissan having a ready-made pickup platform ready to go (in the shape of the recently-launched NP300 Navara) this is a bit of a gimme for Renault.
This Alaskan concept, which will be shown off at the Frankfurt Motor Show, is really a thinly disguised production vehicle. Take off the spangly bits and you have the new Renault pickup, which will share the Navara's 2.3-litre diesel engine in 160hp and 190hp forms, as well as its switchable four-wheel drive and battery of safety systems.
It won't be the only Renault-based pickup either. There is already a Dacia-duster based Oroch pickup on sale in South America. In parallel to its product and market offensives, Renault is also launching Renault Pro+, a global expert brand committed to serving LCV customers and users. In addition to providing tailor-made products and services, the specialist Renault Pro+ network will deliver a rewarding experience at every step of the journey for business-user customers, from advertising to aftersales service.
"We are now equipped to take our Global Growth Plan forward and fulfil the aspirations of business users and individual LCV customers across the world thanks to an enhanced product line-up, new services and an upgraded customer experience", commented Mr Ashwani Gupta, Vice-President, Global Head of LCVs.
The global light pickup market is getting pretty corded all of a sudden. With the Nissan and Renault models joining the likes of the Toyota Hilux and Volkswagen Amarok, there's also the new Mitsubishi L200 and forthcoming models from Mercedes and Hyundai. Yes and indeed ha!