Renault Oroch bakkie unveiled – 2023 Motoring Newsmaker No 2

South Africa is undeniably bakkie country. Whether there is news about existing model or rumours about new ones, the public devours every bit of information.

This year the Renault Oroch bakkie made big waves. Renault showcased a prototype at the Nampo Harvest Expo in May and The Citizen Motoring was there to take a good look at it. There was not much interest around the Renault Oroch bakkie on our website that it turned out to be one of our top newsmakers of the year.

Our Top 10 Motoring Newsmakers, as you could have guessed, features no less than five bakkies.

Renault Oroch shows face

The Renault Oroch bakkie that was showcased at Nampo shares a platform with the Duster SUV. The relation between the two is obvious judging from both its exterior and interior styling.

The Oroch is 4 719 mm long, 1 634 mm high and 1 834 mm wide and rides on a 2 829 mm wheelbase.

Its claimed payload is around 650 kg, which sparked rumours that it could fill the void soon to be left by the Nissan NP200. But killing that idea was the fact than the Renault Oroch was only considered to be offered as a double cab locally.

The Renault Oroch that was showcased was powered by the 115 kW/270 Nm 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol used in the all-new Captur.

Off the table for now

The bakkie is built in front-wheel and four-wheel-drive configuration. The front-wheel drive derivatives have CVT, with the four-wheel drive model featuring six-speed manual transmission.

ALSO READ: Oroch’s dynasty: Renault bakkie not something new

But after initially considering to roll out the bakkie before the end of this year, Renault opted against it. The carmaker says it’s not feasible at this stage”.

And the French manufacturer also shelved the Renault Oroch for 2024 due to “unfavourable economic market factors, in particular the degradation of the exchange rate”.

2023 Motoring Newsmakers

Facelift Isuzu D-Max unveiled – No 10
Mercedes-AMG GT63 breaks cover – No 9
New Mahindra Pik-Up emerges – No 8
New Prado makes grand entry – No 7
Suzuki Fronx to the fore – No 6
Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Max – No 5
Toyota Fortuner ages like wine – No 4
Raptor turns Golf GTI-killer – No 3