During the recent launch of the Renault Koleos in South Africa, the local distributor for the French brand shared its product plans for the rest of 2019, revealing which vehicles it will introduce over the remainder of the year.
So, what’s on the way? Well, a 4×4 version of the latest-generation Duster is scheduled to arrive in March, offered exclusively in 1,5dCi Dynamique (manual) guise. Set to be priced at R327 900, this variant will draw 80 kW and 260 N.m from its turbodiesel heart and see the local Duster line-up expand to five derivatives.
April will see a handful of updates for the flagship Sandero Stepway Plus, while the popular budget-beating Kwid will finally gain standard ABS in May.
A mysterious limited-edition Duster derivative is set for a July introduction, with the full-fat, range-topping Mégane RS Trophy hot hatch – offering 220 kW (up from the 205 kW in the Sport and Cup models) – expected to touch down in August.
Finally, a facelifted version of the Kwid is due in October, complete with styling updates, added features and perhaps further improved safety credentials.
And what about the Duster Oroch and Alaskan bakkies? Well, Renault SA made no mention of these models in its official product plans for 2019 (although we reported in August 2018 that the local arm of the French brand was targeting a 2020 introduction for the former). But, as we’ve pointed out before, the local introduction of either of these models depends entirely on global right-hand-drive production volumes…