Nearly a year after it was introduced as a concept designed to gauge the public’s response, Renault Alaskan has now been unveiled in full production trim. This rather unique looking truck is Renault’s first one tonne pickup.

That’s kind of important because Renault is one of the big players in Europe’s Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) market and for them not to have a pickup like this has been always a cause of distress. To be really exact though, they still don’t have it as Renault Alaskan will first be launched in South America and only it proved successful there other markets will be opened to it.

We don’t see why this truck can’t be successful. Renault Alaskan looks satisfyingly macho and muscular with a tall and robust body, and it’s backed with good mechanical features such as five-link rear suspension and a tough, fully boxed frame as well as a torquey and efficient 2.3-litre dCi engine. Just about the only reason why it may not sell in huge numbers is the fact that it’s new and people may not trust it’s a good truck.

That is an issue that can be remedied with a good publicity campaign. In promoting the Alaskan Renault should focus on the truck’s practicality, comfort, easy of use and off-road capabilities. We would like to see this bad boy in the European market someday.