Renault Niagara: Maverick Sized Rally Truck

New Styling Preview: Rugged Concept

Whilst several concept vehicles stole the show at the Japan Mobility Show, Renault unveiled their fresh mini truck concept in Brazil, ready to take on the likes of Maverick. The Niagara Concept previews the company’s newest design language which will impact eight new models worldwide by 2027. Although America is out of the equation for the French auto-manufacturer, the competition-ready truck and the underlying architecture may well be deployed by one of their alliance partners, Nissan or Mitsubishi, to rival against Mavericks.

Similar to the Ford Maverick, the concept of a compact pickup truck, which is around 192.9 inches long and featuring a wheelbase of 116.1 inches in length, has been brought to life. This vehicle boasts an amazing rally-inspired appearance – with its bold stance and tough looks.

Discover Niagara in video | Renault Group

Exploiting the brand’s new modular infrastructure, the plan needs to have sufficient versatility in order to fit a variety of body types and sizes; but it’s noteworthy that a truck was chosen as the first model to demonstrate.

Fueling the car is an E-Tech hybrid 4×4 power unit which takes advantage of a 48V mid-hybrid system linking up with a petrol engine at the front and another electric motor located in the rear. Renault hasn’t revealed the power figures potentially associated with this concept yet, however, they have announced that the drivetrain will offer an equal off-road experience to that of four-wheel-drive systems.

Architecture which permits the utilization of ethanol, LPG, mild-hybrid and full-hybrid powertrain systems is also present, giving the impression that it would serve as a capable opponent for the Maverick model.

Visually, the small pickup truck displays prominent large fenders, side sills, and sharp bumpers with tow hooks. Additionally, there is a roof rack containing a spare tire of full size as well as some supplemental lamps. Meanwhile, the loading area has enough space for 2 extra wheels, indicating this ride was developed for rally racing.

Unlike the anterior, situated between its LED-taillights of total length, an integrated spoiler and a possible bed bar, the back of the Niagara shows a classic insignia. Notwithstanding, alike to the frontal, it constitutes to feature a seemingly metallic bumper.

A fresh arrangement has just been concluded between Renault and Nissan; could there be potential for this compact truck to take on the highly preferred Maverick in the US with a Nissan label? That is something we can merely hypothesise at the moment, however since opposition is becoming more intense, especially with Toyota potentially entering the arena, we mustn’t exclude the possibility.