Weakness of Pound casts doubt on UK launch of Renault Alaskan

Date: Thursday, November 9, 2017 | Author: James Dallas

Renault has admitted it put on hold its launch of the Alaskan pick-up truck in the UK due to concerns over the impact of Brexit on the currency exchange rate, which has seen sterling weakening against the Euro.

Thierry Plantegenest, global vice-president of sales and marketing for Renault Pro+, said that although the brand is targeting the pick-up sector for growth in Europe and Africa, it had to weigh up “the mix between volume and profitability” when deciding in which markets to introduce the Alaskan.

He insisted: “There is no technical reason for it not to come [to the UK].”

Renault had been expected to launch the Alaskan in the UK in the first half of 2018 but is now reconsidering whether to bring the Nissan Navara-based model to the UK market at all.

The decision to withhold confirmation of the Alaskan’s introduction came under the watch of Renault’s UK boss Vincent Tourette, who took over from Paul Flanagan in April 2017, the same month that the Alaskan, albeit in left-hand drive mode, took pride of place on Renault’s stand at the CV Show in Birmingham.

A version of the Alaskan aimed at the massive South American pick-up market went on sale in Colombia in October 2016 and European sales kicked off in France in September 2017.

Mercedes-Benz’ debut pick-up truck, the X-Class, which is also based on the Nissan Navara, will go on sale in the UK before the end of the year.

Apart from the Alaskan, Renault also manufactures the Oroch - a smaller pick-up with a 0.5-tonne payload, but does not sell the model in Europe.

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