Automotive

Renault transforms the Duster SUV into a sporty pickup concept

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Dacia's Duster goes pickup for São Paulo
The Duster Oroch packs custom-built kitesurfing storage in back
The interior is charcoal black with orange accents
The Oroch design includes a glass roof
Dacia's Duster goes pickup for São Paulo
The Oroch concept includes an integrated action cam system
The Duster Pick-Up is a collaboration between Dacia, OMV and car body manufacturer Romturingia
Dacia plans to deliver more than 500 Duster Pick-Ups to OMV by the end of next year
The two-seat, 4x4 Pick-Up is powered by a 110-hp 1.5 dCi engine
The two-seat, 4x4 Pick-Up is powered by a 110-hp 1.5 dCi engine
The Duster Pick-Up has 5.6-ft (1.7-m) bed
We'd much prefer the Duster Oroch for this stretch of rocky off-road
The Dacia Duster Oroch
The seats, dashboard and door inserts of the Duster Oroch make use of a neoprene-like material
The Oroch's dark charcoal interior is offset by a lot of orange trim
On the coast with the Dacia Duster Oroch
The Duster Oroch's face blends Dacia's current brand identity with some influence from the 2012 D-Cross concept
The Dacia Duster Oroch rides on 18-in wheels
View gallery - 17 images

The Fiat FCC4 wasn't the only interesting utility vehicle concept to come out of the recent São Paulo Motor Show. Renault experimented with a sporty pickup version of the Dacia Duster SUV, showing how the platform could haul five people with a bed full of gear.

Renault has plans to launch at least two pickup trucks in the South American market, where it estimates close to 75 percent of light commercial vehicles are pickups. The Duster Oroch concept shows what a particularly sporty South American small pickup might look like.

"The Duster Oroch is a concrete illustration of our strategy to develop products tailored to our Latin American markets," says Denis Barbier, Renault's senior vice president and chairman of the Americas Region. "Based on the Duster, which is one of our best-selling models in the region, the show car explores the world of pick-ups – a segment we’re absent from at the moment but which totals over 900,000 vehicles sold each year."

Given that the Duster Oroch concept is based on a crossover, we'd expect it to have more the feel of a utility/pickup car than a small pickup truck. However, with its high ground clearance, squarish wheel arches, large bumpers, strong, sharp lines, and roof rails, it manages to feel more like a truck. It definitely has a more legitimate utility look than the Duster Pick-Up that Dacia developed recently for Romania's OMV Petrom oil and gas group (below).

The two-seat, 4x4 Pick-Up is powered by a 110-hp 1.5 dCi engine

The Duster Oroch owes much of its sporty styling to the wind. Renault's Latin America design center developed the concept with kitesurfing in mind. The rear was purpose-built for storing kitesurfing gear, and the white-and-orange paint scheme also takes its inspiration from the sport, presumably the sun-baked sands from which kite surfers launch.

Adding to the Oroch's action sports-derived design are a pair of rear-mounted cameras with respective lens angles of 80° and 140°. These cameras aren't designed for backup or traffic monitoring, but for filming great moments of windsurfing and outdoor adventure. The cameras are controlled via a rotary knob inside the cabin, and the multimedia display shows the footage in real time, providing a versatile filming platform on wheels.

Another feature designed to enhance the concept's appeal amongst the wind-, surf- and adrenaline-hunting crowd is the "Cover Carving" technology used in the seat construction. The seats pack an extra layer of foam to deliver added absorption and comfort in rougher driving conditions.

The Duster Oroch's face blends Dacia's current brand identity with some influence from the 2012 D-Cross concept

More generally, the Oroch fuses Dacia's new styling motif into the front-end, along with some cues from the D-Cross concept car Dacia showed in São Paulo two years ago. It stands on 18-in wheels with 255/60 tires and has a panoramic glass roof that lets the sunlight cascade down into the five-seat interior. That interior ties into the greater look by way of orange highlights set against the charcoal background. The dashboard, door inserts and select seat components are made from a neoprene-like material that recalls wetsuits.

Renault doesn't offer any powertrain or equipment details for the Duster Oroch, but it seems safe to assume that the concept is imagined as a 4x4-equipped Duster.

We've included several pictures of the OMV fleet Duster Pick-Up in the gallery so you can compare concept with reality. Sound off in the comments section about which you prefer.

Source: Dacia

View gallery - 17 images
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1 comment
B0gdan
Here's a video of New Renault Duster Oroch posted on 28 oct. 2014 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryiGp8MoOGA