Renault is testing the waters at this week’s Sao Paulo Motor Show in Brazil (Oct. 30 – Nov. 9) with a new concept for a Duster crew-cab pickup truck.
The French firm said that pickups represent some 75 percent of the 920,000 light commercial vehicle sales in South America, and it will enter the market with at least two models, one of which will very likely be the Duster truck.
“The Duster Oroch is a concrete illustration of our strategy to develop products tailored to our Latin American markets,” said Denis Barbier, Senior Vice President, Chairman of the Americas Region.
“Based on the Duster, which is one of our best-selling models in the region, the show car explores the world of pick-ups – a segment we’re absent from at the moment but which totals over 900,000 vehicles sold each year,” added Barbier.
Dacia itself released a pickup truck version of the Duster SUV that is sold under the Renault badge in Brazil and other markets only a few weeks ago, but the Romanian carmaker’s model has two doors and was built exclusively for the country’s biggest gas company.
Renault didn’t say if the truck’s dimensions differ from the Duster SUV, but it does look longer in the pictures.
Being labeled a concept car, the Oroch, which was penned at the Renault design center for Latin America (RDAL) in Sao Paulo, gets a styling makeover with flush door handles, orange accents, new light fixtures on both ends, 18-inch wheels with 255/60 tires and broad side protective moldings. The Duster’s interior was also updated with new materials and more futuristic looking components.
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