Renault Alaskan ute project is dead

There is no ute in the immediate future of Renault in Australia.

After more than two years of hints and promises, the Alaskan ute is definitely dead down under.

It has been killed after a comprehensive review of the whole Renault line-up in Australia that will see the renewal of everything in the brand’s showrooms by the end of 2020.

The decision was made by the company’s new managing director, Anouk Poelmann, as part of a regional review that compared the potential for the Alaskan against the needs of Australian buyers.

But there is still a little light on the ute front, with a potential hook-up for a Renault version of the Mitsubishi Triton at some time in the future.

“It’s not right for the Australian market. The product specification,” Poelmann says of the Alaskan.

“We didn’t feel that it was necessarily suited to the Australian expectation.”

She says Renault looked at local suspension tuning and but could not make a program work, while denying pricing was the key factor.

“I don’t think that was the main issue,” Poelmann says of the price.
Instead, it’s the Alaskan’s sourcing from Spain that is a hurdle which cannot be cleared.

But even with the Alaskan dead, Renault is not giving up on a contender for the booming ute market in Australia.

“We are looking at other opportunities,” Poelmann confirms.

But she does not want to get anyone over-excited about a Mitsubishi link, as there are multitudes of unanswered questions including the timing of a hook-up for a Triton that is into is final three years.

“The last thing we want to do is replace one promise with another promise,” she says.

“It’s the biggest mistake you can make. And not just for the end consumer. Also for your dealers.

“You cannot promise things that you can’t deliver”.

But she is happy to confirm that the investigation involves another member of the Nissan-Renault Alliance, which includes Mitsubishi.

“I wouldn’t want to sort-of be ahead of ourselves. We are absolutely investigating it, but I wouldn’t want to assume it is easy.

“If you can give us a bit more time.”

According to Poelmann, speaking at her first major briefing since joining Renault from Peugeot, a new regional set-up and a bolder new drive from headquarters in France will soon see a rush of new products.

They include everything from the compact Kadjar SUV to the full-sized Master van and the Trophy R version of the Megane hot hatch.

“If you see the confidence with which we are presenting our new products and new strategy, that gives me confidence,” she says.

“The whole organisation is under new wings. There is a new regional set-up. And we look at product planning and product development from new fresh eyes.

“It comes with a lot of new opportunities. The new president is someone who has worked overseas for most of his career. He has a good view of what is available globally.”