SPY PICS: Renault Koleos less than 12 months away

Renault's Koleos looks much like the flip side of the Dualis coin (more here). Some of the technology that will find its way into the production version of the Koleos was co-developed with Nissan.

Renault's own press material for the Koleos concept alludes to the four-wheel drive chassis and 2.0 Diesel engine being jointly developed with its Japanese partner.

Judging by the elevation on these spy photos, the Koleos passed right below the eyrie or satellite from which those caped crusaders of the photographic art, Carparazzi, operate.

This particular vehicle was on location in France for heat testing. The disguise conceals much of the Renault flavour seen in the concept. There's a lot of Asian DNA in that design.  That's no surprise, since the Koleos was styled at Renault's design centre in Korea.

According to the Carparazzi photographer, the production car looks set to lose the complex tailgate styling of the concept car that was unveiled at the Paris motor show last year. The grille also looks markedly different from that of the concept.

The headlights seem to be a nod in the direction of the X-Trail and the body proportions generally follow in the footsteps of the Murano. It's the Renault design detail that will set Koleos apart from the Nissan cousins.

-- with Carparazzi