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This unusual combination of pick-up and cabriolet is the Renault Sand’Up, a heavily modified concept version of the Dacia Sandero hatchback due on sale in the UK next year - and the first Renault concept from the firm’s Brazilian design studio.
Described as a 2+2 coupe, the car is based on the Sandero Stepway, a four-wheel drive version of the Sandero on sale in Brazil and Argentina.
Similar in design to the Citroen Pluriel, the Sand’Up’s arcing roof pillars allow for three different body structures; convertible, pick-up truck and what Renault describes as a coupe.
The Sand’Up has a load bed that can extend by 40cm giving 1.7 metres load space thanks to its fold flat rear seats. When equipped with its manual hard-top, the concept also gets a split tailgate clamshell boot, similar to the Renault Koleos. Other features include electro-hydraulic doors, previously used on the Laguna concept, and rear view camera wing mirrors.
Powered by a 1.6 litre engine running on ethanol and driving the front wheels, the Sand’Up will produce 108bhp and 109 lb ft of torque, and reach 60mph in 10.6 seconds.
Renault are unlikely to launch a car like the Sand’Up for the European market, but another South American market only model could be possible.
Pick-ups are a popular alternative to passenger cars in Brazil; Renault says younger buyers are interested in the look of a pick-up rather than its practicality.
George Barrow
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