One of which will establish a new niche in the market.
Renault Australia has been making a number of moves recently, shaking up the local lineup some bit. First they announced that the Megane would only be available in our market as a hotted-up R.S. model, and then they announced that the mid-sized Kadjar SUV would be making its way Down Under with in its newest, facelifted form. And now they’ve gone on the record to say that it will finally take on Australia’s mighty ute segment with not one, but two contenders.
There’s solid logic to this move: As the ute market here progresses upmarket, it’s been identified that there are a number of cashed-up types who buy into the versatility and usability of a ute, and are willing to spend (what used to be considered) obscene money for one, provided they don’t lose the refinement and ease-of-use that they might’ve enjoyed in a smaller SUV or family car.
However, due to the increased desirability of utes as a whole, the number of buyers who buy into utes without really thinking about utilitarian things like towing capacity and maximum payload (also referred to as ‘lifestyle customers’) is also on the rise, and so a more mechanically-straightforward, price-focused model would also be smart to have.
And so it’s been revealed that Renault’s local office has been making headway with their ute argument at their head offices in France, with the bosses agreeing that there’s reason enough to bring forth strong answers to our ever-growing ute segment. This was revealed to our friends at Motoring during an interview with Renault Australia’s MD, Andrew Moore.
The Alaskan will be the highlight of its ute offensive, which will be packaged and positioned in such a way that it’ll only really do battle with premium utes like the Volkswagen Amarok V6, Mercedes-Benz X-Class, Ford Ranger XLT, and Toyota Hilux SR5. It’s unlikely that the Alaskan will be much of a contender against mid-range pickups of that size though, as there’s one major inhibitive factor: Price.
Initially, the Alaskan was to share a Thai production plant alongside the Nissan Navara NP300, on which it shares its underpinnings. But that plan was scrapped when the parent company didn’t see a compelling-enough argument for the car in the greater Australasian region, which means that our Alaskans will have to be built in Spain. Increased cost for both manufacturing and shipping are then incurred, which means that even in its most basic form it’d still command a premium over its rivals. But a specced-up version would be more competitive, and more lucrative for Renault.
“We have been making strong headways in our ambition to launch two lifestyle based pick-ups in Australia – the Renault Alaskan and Renault Oroch. Increasingly we are seeing customers move into the pick-up segment as a lifestyle choice and we firmly believe that the exceptional European styling of our product offering mixed with strong SUV underpinnings make these Renault vehicles a compelling alternative for customers. We want a dual [ute] strategy and we’re pushing hard for that.” — Andrew Moore, Managing Director, Renault Australia
That leads us to the next point, the Oroch. With the Alaskan unable to hit the ute market where it hurts, Renault Australia wants to field the smaller, SUV-based Oroch to appeal to customers that would have traditionally bought an SUV. With a monocoque construction and a punchy turbocharged petrol engine, the Oroch will be a far more compelling argument for family buyers, particularly those who have little interest in utilising the utility of their utes.
Further, Renault reckons that the Oroch has the ability to bring something back to our market. With the demise of the Aussie-built Commodore, car-based utes like the Holden Ute have also gone the way of the dodo. Moore, who drove the Oroch in France, said that there were also a number of advantages that come with a less-hardcore monocoque construction.
“With the monocoque chassis, you can really throw it around like a car, and the performance and space is impressive. The rear tray is quite deep, because it’s not on a ladder and it doesn’t sit above the frame, but within it. It’s not as long, but it’s quite deep.” — Andrew Moore, Managing Director, Renault Australia
The larger Alaskan, with its ruggedly-handsome looks paired with distinctly-European flair & refinements, will land on our shores in the second-half of 2019. However, the Oroch will take a little longer to make Aussie landfall, on the account that the factories that make it presently don’t produce the Oroch in right-hand drive. As such, the smaller car will only arrive here “after 2020.” Another reason for their delayed arrival will be local-market demands: The Alaskan and Oroch will need to confidently achieve 5-star ANCAP safety ratings, and will require a set of pre-developed accessories to ensure their success here.
Competition is always healthy, as it drives innovation and ingenuity. The ute segment has always been a hot one in our market, and so it’s quite fun to see carmakers that haven’t previously considered the ute space take it on with gusto. There’s little chance that the Renault Alaskan, as smart as it might be to look at, will upset the mainstream options in the market, but the Oroch stands a chance to make waves here, and perhaps bring back the car-ute that was previously synonymous with our market.
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