Renault Oz can't wait for Alaskan ute

The Renault Alaskan dual-cab 4x4 ute concept revealed last night in Paris has already generated a huge amount of interest and it's Australian arrival is being eagerly anticipated.

Renault Australia managing director, Justin Hocevar, told motoring.com.au today that his team is "keen as mustard" to get the ute here.

"Depending on how you want to cut it, the segment is the best part of around 20 per cent of the new car market in Australia, it's a substantial part of the market.

"When all of a sudden you can take on that extra big chunk of the market, then it’s a great opportunity for us," he said.

Based on the all-new Nissan NP300 Navara platform, which will also eventually underpin Mercedes-Benz ute, the production version of the Renault Alaskan will be powered by 2.3-litre four-cylinder twin turbo-diesel engines matched to manual and automatic transmissions.

"It comes off a platform with excellent credentials. We owe that to the [Renault-Nissan] alliance -- it's a great outcome," said the Renault Australia MD, who added that the vehicle will be very capable on road and off road.

For reference we awarded the new Navara a solid 79/100 review rating after our first Australian drive, in which it impressed with almost car-like ride quality thanks to its all-coil suspension.

Renault's designers have done a solid job styling the tough new look of the Alaskan, opined Hocevar, who noted that "the imagery of the concept has been well received".

Although it's not clear whether the Alaskan name will be kept for the production version of the ute, the Renault Australia boss says the name has been "really well received" too.

"I think that's a fantastic outcome, the naming of the concept, when you think of all the things that [US] state stands for. This vehicle can encapsulate a lot of those images it conjures up."

In terms of what body styles Renault plans to offer in Australia, expect high-end models such as 4x4 dual-cab variants to be predominant. Hocevar doesn't expect to see "stripped-down rental or mining-spec vehicles" here.

"But perhaps in that very strong lifestyle aspect of the ute market, I think we've got a right to play there. I think that's already a very big part of the segment," he posited.

So when can we expect to drive the new ute in Australia?

"We can't confirm that yet, and for a number of reasons," says Hocevar.

"There's market sensitivities for one. But secondly it's a global vehicle. Sourcing could come from a number of different manufacturing facilities around the world," he said.

So far the Alaskan is confirmed for production in Spain and Mexico, but it's not yet clear if the ute will be built alongside the Navara in Thailand.

There's a good chance that will happen, given the vehicle will be sold in southeast Asia's big ute markets, potentially reducing its cost due to the Australia-Thailand free-trade agreement.

"We need to make sure our business case is optimised as to which is the right sourcing plant to maximise our opportunity here. We're finalising those details and once that's nailed down we'll have a better idea of our time to market," he said.

What do you think of the new Renault Alaskan ute? Will it pique the interest of Aussie buyers among the sea of established one-tonners, most of which will be renewed this year?