Renault Alaskan ute ruled out again, next generation a possibility
The Nissan Navara-based Renault Alaskan ute is a non-starter for Australia, but its successor – due in five years – might make it here.
The Renault Alaskan ute has been on-again and off-again for Australia since it was unveiled globally four years ago. Now it’s officially off-again.
The current-generation Renault Alaskan sold in Europe is based on the existing Nissan Navara ute – which also spawned the ill-fated Mercedes X-Class due to be axed next year, half way through its planned model cycle.
In recent years, successive bosses at Renault Australia have expressed interest in introducing the Alaskan ute locally, but each time it has hit a roadblock due to high cost and its suitability for our market.
The current boss of Renault Australia, Anouk Poelmann, has previously said she does not want to “replace one promise with another promise”, but has confirmed there are no plans to introduce the current Alaskan locally.
However, representatives for the company said this week the next-generation Renault Alaskan has not been ruled out and could be a possibility.
As Renault is an alliance partner, that model could in fact be a version of the next Mitsubishi Triton.
When asked about an update on the chance of the Renault Alaskan ute coming to Australia in this generation or the next, spokesman Andrew Ellis said: “In its current form, no, it’s just not coming to Australia ... but the next generation, like any other product in the portfolio, we will definitely look at it, absolutely.”