A fresh report out of Australia suggests “capacity constraints” at the Renault’s plant in Brazil have further delayed the introduction of a right-hand-drive version of the French brand’s Duster Oroch bakkie.
Speaking to CarAdvice, Andrew Moore, Renault Australia’s managing director, said “we can’t get it as soon as that [early 2020], but we’re still pushing – along with some other markets – for it to be developed [in] right-hand drive”.
“We have made some progress and pushed our business case for that vehicle, but it wouldn’t be any earlier than around 2021, maybe late 2020, because there’s capacity constraints at the current Oroch factory,” Moore said, referring to Renault’s plant in São José dos Pinhais.
In August 2018, CARmag.co.za reported that Renault South Africa had effectively pencilled in a launch date for the long-awaited Duster Oroch, with the local arm of the French brand targeting a 2020 introduction for its four-door unibody bakkie. Whether this launch date (which was already not set in stone) will be pushed back remains to be seen.
If the Duster Oroch were to launch in South Africa, it would slot into a half-tonne segment (despite employing a double-cab body style) that currently contains only the Nissan NP200, since the Chevrolet Utility left local shores when General Motors pulled out of the country at the end of 2017. The Volkswagen Saveiro, meanwhile, is seemingly still not on the cards for South Africa.
The Duster Oroch offered in Brazil can be specified with either a 1,6-litre or a 2,0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine (the first with a five-speed and the second with a six-speed manual gearbox). The claimed payload is 650 kg, with a cargo bed volume of 683 litres.
The front-wheel-drive Oroch measures 4 693 mm long, 1 821 mm wide and 1 695 mm high, with a wheelbase of 2 829 mm. It employs an independent multi-link rear suspension set-up.
