Forget the Ford Maverick! Sub-Navara Nissan ute confirmed as by-product of renewed Renault alliance

The Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi Alliance has been renewed after a long series of discussions, and finally the three brands can move on with a more unified strategy. One of the key take-aways is a renewed set of utes.

Focused primarily on the Latin-American market, where the Alliance sees big opportunities, is a "new half-tonne pick-up developed by Renault Group and shared with Nissan in Argentina.”

The confirmation comes after years of Nissan saying it was considering a pick-up truck in the sub-Navara segment for a global audience.

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A car-based half-tonne pick-up already exists within the Renault Group, the Renault Duster Oroch, which is based on the Dacia Duster small SUV and is currently built in Brazil or Columbia. There's a strong chance the Oroch is what Nissan will share with Renault.

The Duster Oroch was released in 2015 and was last facelifted in 2022, although a new-generation version has only been seen as a single-cab for the Romanian market. Interestingly, the Duster Oroch has been in the works as a right-hand-drive model for some time with South African media pointing to the Oroch appearing in a local product plan for 2023.

The brand speculated that a next-generation dual-cab version is also due in 2023, and that the local importer was waiting for that model before announcing its right-hand-drive arrival.

Nissan has already pointed to a car-based pick-up in its future, with the reveal of the Surf-Out concept, shown in early 2022.

The Renault Duster Oroch is a car based half-tonne ute.

The Surf-Out, however, was part of Nissan’s 2030 vision, and was presented as an all-electric model.

The second-generation Dacia Duster, which will be the basis for the second-generation Renault Oroch, rides on the Dacia B0+ platform, which Nissan already shares for a low-cost version of its Kicks SUV for the Indian market.

Meanwhile, Ateco, the local importer of Renault cars, looks set to introduce a range of non-electrified ‘adventure’ cars which it sources from Dacias line-up, including the Duster SUV, which it confirmed would be branded a Renault when it arrives in Australia.

The Duster Oroch has been in the works as a right-hand-drive model for some time.

Speaking to CarsGuide in September 2022, and adding to the chances for a next-generation Oroch, Renault’s local managing director, Glen Sealy, said: “Oroch is something we would always have our hand up for here. Whether it be Duster, whether it be Bigster, or Oroch in the long term - for Australia we can’t take any of the existing product, we have to wait for the new-generation models.”

“That adventure range would be characterised by tough design, internal combustion engine, and a 4x4 drivetrain, which you’re not going to see in Renault [models] moving forward,” he added.

He also confirmed that the brand’s EV-push for “core models” would be centred around new Renault products, like the Megane E-Tech crossover.

Renault speculated that a next-generation dual-cab version is due in 2023.

While Mr Sealy stopped short of confirming which cars will be part of its Dacia-based line-up for Australian launch, it seems very likely it will fight to get the Oroch to our shores, whether that leaves room for the Nissan version in our market remains to be seen.

One of the key issues which could face the Nissan version is the lower safety ratings of Dacia-based products. While demand is still strong for them in much of Europe, Nissan hasn’t offered the SUV-version of its Navara ute in Australia, the Terra (or X-Terra as it is known in the Middle East), as it won’t necessarily pass the stringent requirements for a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating.

The car-based ute world is rapidly expanding again after years of waning interest, with popular models launched in recent years overseas including the Ford Maverick, Hyundai Santa Cruz, and, to a lesser degree, the Honda Ridgeline. General Motors and Stellantis (under the Ram brand) are also thought to be working on unibody ute rivals for a global audience.