Archive for Peugeot

Following the footsteps of its quirky sister brand Citroen, Peugeot will be launching a new sub-brand that will be used on more upmarket models with higher profit margins, similiar to Citroen’s DS sub-brand. The new sub-brand will be called hors-série, which is French for ‘custom-made’ or ‘out of series’.

The sexy Peugeot RCZ will be the first hors-série model and Nasim has announced intentions to offer it here in Malaysia. The next hors-série model will be a wagon version of the new Peugeot 508. The 508 is a new model that will replace both the 407 and the 607, and it has been previewed in the form of the 5 by Peugeot concept. The third hors-série model will be unveiled only in 2012.

They will keep the word hors-série in all markets without translating it, much like how Volkswagen uses the tagline Das Auto even here in Malaysia. This can sometimes cause some rather amusing conclusion. A friend of mine actually thought Das Auto was a Malaysian-Indian owned Volkswagen dealership as Das is also an Indian name Until he saw it in Germany of course.

Remember Proton’s Wira based Arena “pick-up truck”? I still see some pasar malam traders putting the Arena to good use and it has carved out a niche for itself in Australia, where it’s called Jumbuck. Here’s one car with a similar concept from Peugeot, and it’s called the Hoggar.

The Hoggar is made for the South American market, and is based on the domestic 207. However, the 207 in question is not the same car that competes in Europe’s supermini class, but a 206 with a changed cabin and redesigned to look like the “big mouthed” 207. The Hoggar has a payload of about 742 kg.

Peugeot’s small pick-up will be launched in Brazil in May and will come with two engine options: a 1.4-litre and a 1.6-litre, both with flex-fuel technology. Flex-fuel cars can run on gasoline, ethanol or a mixture of the two. In Brazil, ethanol made mostly from sugar cane makes up 25% of the E25 fuel that’s sold in pumps. By the way, what happened to Malaysia’s biodiesel plans? Anybody in the know?

Rear shot and larger images after the jump.

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Yes, that’s true, and the buyer in question is PSA Peugeot Citroën. Mitsubishi has announced the signing of a “Final Cooperative Agreement” that will see the French giant purchase 100,000 units of the i-MiEV electric car. PSA will market the rebadged i-MiEV as the Peugeot iOn and Citroen C-Zero. Both French badged cars will go on sale in Europe by the end of this year, starting with their domestic market.

This sealed deal comes just after both parties failed to agree terms for a capital alliance in the style of Renault and Nissan. Mitsubishi Motors CEO Osamu Masuko and PSA chief Philippe Varin met at Geneva and jointly released a statement that a capital tie-up would not be realistic although both companies would continue to expand business ties.

Besides this latest deal, which would help Mitsubishi achieve better economies of scale for an expensive project, PSA also bases its Peugeot 4007 and Citroen C-Crosser on the Japanese maker’s Outlander SUV.

Peugeot’s Mu ‘pay as you go’ car rental service has been in operation in France for quite some time now, and now it has landed in the UK. Basically you get a prepaid account and top it up on the Peugeot Mu website. Then you will get access to renting various Peugeot vehicles from a bicycle, a scooter, cars like the 207 CC, 308 CC, 407 Coupe, 3008, an SUV, MPV, etc or even accessories such as a roof box if you have your MPV filled to the brim for a long journey and you need additional boot space.

The whole idea is to allow easier access to vehicles in cities/countries where car ownership is expensive and a hassle. If you take the subway/bus to work or even to shop most of the time, why buy and keep a car? You might as well only rent one when you need one. Rental prices in Paris range from 65 Euro (325 Mu points or RM295) a day for a 207 CC to 215 Euro (1075 Mu points – about RM980) for a weekend in a 407 Coupe. It might seem expensive to us because we use our cars everyday so we might as well buy one and maintain it. Something like this won’t work in Malaysia. In Malaysia, you can get a Mondeo 2.3 for RM458 a day from Sime Darby Hertz Rent A Car.

The Mu program will probably play a key role to supporting the launch of the Peugeot Ion, the French company’s rebadged Mitsubishi i-MiEV which coincidentally has just been finalized this week in terms of the paperwork required. The two companies will no doubt be working closer from now on, since they have done rebadge deals for both the 4007/C-Crosser (rebadged Mitsubishi Outlander) and now the Ion (rebadged MiEV). But earlier this month they also announced that they have abandoned plans for an equity stake swap to ’seal the bond’. A lot of people were expecting yet another French-Japanese alliance like Renault-Nissan.

This is the 5 by Peugeot concept car that previews the upcoming 508 sedan. The concept will make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show which is just around the corner. Under that pretty good looking thing is an all wheel drive HYbrid 4 powertrain which means it has a 163hp 2.0 liter DHi FAP diesel engine and a 37hp electric motor.

The former is mounted on the front axle while the latter sits at the back. The powertrain is able to output 200hp collectively and its fuel consumption is figured at 74.3 miles to the gallon. The system also releases 99 grams of CO2 emissions per kilometer. More information will be released soon meanwhile continue reading to view an image gallery.

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Peugeot has dominated the Intercontinental Rally Challenge for the past three years with its 207 S2000 rally car, and most recently British driver Kris Meeke wrapped up the 2009 season in style, taking for himself the 2009 IRC drivers’ title. To commemorate the victory (and to sell more cars) Peugeot UK has created the Special Edition 207 S16, which is limited to 250 examples.

Based on the three-door 207 Sport 1.6 VTi, the S16 adds on full 207 RC Cup bodykit comprising front and rear spoilers, side skirts and a “pseudo rear diffuser”, 17″ Hockenheim alloys, SP Sports mesh grille, dark tinted rear windows from the 207 GTi, a special interior badge signed by Kris Meeke and of course – vinyl rally graphics which mimic Meeke’s IRC winning 207 S2000. The decals blends elements from the Union Jack and Peugeot’s lion; thankfully they did not cover the bonnet with the flag as well, as the race car does. Not all will like it, so they can have their S16 in pure Bianca White.

Top speed of 200 km/h and 0-100 km/h in 10.7 seconds isn’t really SS winning speed but hey, at least you’ll feel like a champ behind the wheel!

One more image after the jump.

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PSA Peugeot Citroën has announced a recall of about 90,000 Peugeot 107 and Citroën C1 cars following Toyota’s 1.8 million car European recall which includes the Aygo. The city car triplets of Aygo, 107 and C1 were jointly developed and roll off the same plant in Kolin, Czech Republic. Should the Aygo have faulty accelerator pedals, it’s likely that its French sisters are affected too.

A spokesman for Peugeot Citroën said that he was not aware of any injuries caused by the problem in the vehicles it is recalling, which were made from 2005 to mid 2009.

Meanwhile the New York Times quoted Toyota president Akio Toyoda as saying: “Customers bought our cars because they thought they were the safest. But now we have given them cause for grave concern. I can’t begin to express my remorse.”

Peugeot’s gasoline engines are finally being updated to be matched with 6 cogs, at least for the PSA-BMW Prince engine that Peugeot uses in the 308 and various other models.

The next generation of Peugeot cars with Prince engines will get the new AT6 6-speed automatic transmission supplied by Aisin, instead of the old AL4 that you currently find in the 308 and the 206. One of the first models to get the new combo is the 308 CC, which will get a Prince 1.6 engine with 156hp, 240Nm and the 6-speed auto.

The AT6 (with Tiptronic System Porsche) can withstand a maximum torque of 300Nm, so please take that in mind when you rechip your future 6-speed Pug. This is less than the 450Nm that the AM6 transmission that the Peugeot HDi turbodiesel engines are equipped with, but that is given since the AT6 is lighter and more compact.

Peugeot has big plans to increase its presence in Asia, and Malaysia – via its partner Naza – plays a major role in this programme. At a press conference this afternoon, Peugeot deputy managing director Nicolas Wertans unveiled the company’s new identity for the first time outside of France (simultaneous with the launch of the 408 in China) and laid out what’s in store for us in the near future.

Peugeot plans to make Naza’s Gurun plant its right-hand drive manufacturing hub that will not only serve the ASEAN region, but possibly Australia, New Zealand and even South Africa. Exports will start this year, where the T33 compact sedan will be shipped to Thailand and Indonesia.

Peugeot has started the expansion of its ASEAN regional office in Petaling Jaya and Mr. Wertans said that a new team is being sent from France to study the market. This team will be based here to better understand the taste and expectations of Malaysian carbuyers.

Five new models will be launched in 2010, the 3008, 5008, 308 CC, RCZ and T33 sedan. The 3008 is a crossover while the 5008 is Peugeot’s version of the Citroen Grand C4 Picasso. Moving on, the 308 CC is a metal folding roof coupe-convertible while the RCZ is a compact sports coupe that follows the Audi TT’s template, shown in the metal at last year’s Frankfurt show.

These cars are all fresh offerings, even in Europe, and the RCZ isn’t even on sale yet in the UK, so this blitz reflects our market’s newfound importance. No chance of these cars coming in with Peugeot’s excellent HDi diesels however; we’ll have to make do with petrol engines from the Prince family.

The T33’s impending launch has been covered on this blog before. It’s essentially a 206 Sedan with an updated nose, but Wertans won’t confirm the 207 Sedan name. To be launched by the end of the third quarter this year, it will come with a Peugeot badge (not Naza) and a 1.6-litre engine paired to a “Porsche” Tiptronic gearbox, likely to be the same drivetrain as the 308 VTi. With a sales target of 500 units per month, the T33 is set to be Naza’s bulk seller, taking over from the phased out 206 Bestari.

Meanwhile, the 408 that was launched hours ago in China, codenamed T73, could come in the near future. Wertans said that Peugeot “is seriously thinking about it, but it’s too early to tell”. The booted 308 is not a replacement for the 407, and isn’t likely to carry the “408″ name in every market it’s sold in – besides China, it will go to Brazil, Russia, India and other developing markets.

These plans will further boost Peugeot’s Asia sales, which grew by 45% in 2009. The French company hopes to expand in emerging markets, as its core market becomes highly saturated (currently 60% of total sales are from Western Europe, where it holds a 7.2% market share).

The new lion logo, “Motion & Emotion” tagline, and design language previewed by the gorgeous SR1 concept forms part of a “major repositioning for the next decade” said Wertans. The SR1 features styling cues that will be on Peugeot’s next generation of cars (no more “big mouth” grille) while the part car, part scooter BB1 concept is confirmed for production. “It’s not if, but when it’s coming to Malaysia,” said Wertans of the four-seat BB1, although he must have looked very, very far ahead when saying that.

The Peugeot 408 notchback sedan made its world debut in China this week. No, it’s not a replacement for 407. The replacement for the 407 will move up a notch in the market since it intends to replace both the 407 and the 607. It will be called the Peugeot 508.

The new Peugeot 408 is actually a C-segment notchback sedan based on the C-segment Peugeot 308 platform, but with its wheelbase lengthened to give better interior room since it is a 4-door. Suspension settings have also been revised for the car’s new sedan weight and for a more comfort-biased setup. In China, its positioned against other C-segment sedans like the Civic and the Focus. And this time Peugeot seems to have gotten the ‘hatch to sedan’ conversion right – it looks a lot less awkward than the 206 Sedan.

The 408 measures 4,680mm long, 1,800mm long and 1,500mm wide. It has a wheelbase of 2,710mm which trumps the Civic’s throne as the longest wheelbase C-segment vehicle available right now (well not exactly – the Fluence wheelbase is said to be 2,702mm). It approaches CD-segment territory with that wheelbase length (the Pug 407’s wheelbase is 2,725mm)! This should mean pretty good interior room in theory.

The Chinese launch of the car introduces a two engine line-up – a 110hp 1.6 liter engine and a 147hp 2.0 liter engine. Different markets may get different engines. The 1.6 liter engine’s 110 horses is reached at 5,750rpm while peak torque of 147Nm is reached at 4,000rpm with 85% reached from just 2,000rpm. and 95% (140Nm) between 3,000rpm and 5,500rpm. That’s a good and wide torque spread. The 2.0 liter unit is equipped with continuously variable valve timing. It produces its peak power at 6,000rpm with peak torque of 200Nm reached at 4,000rpm.

The transmission options are either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic, which is the new AT8 Porsche Tiptronic system model. Not the same one as found in the 206 or the 308, which is the AL4. The AT8 uses a torque converter by ZF which improves gearbox output and reduces consumption by about 5%. The gearbox management can also lock the three higher gears to reduce torque converter slip during gentle driving. From my sources, these are not the only engine options available for the 408 so if it comes to Malaysia at all, there is still a question mark there. It would be nice if the same Prince engines in the 308 are offered.

Speaking of Malaysia – guess what, it’s under consideration to be launched in Malaysia as part of Peugeot’s plans for the ASEAN region that were revealed in a press conference this afternoon. It won’t necessarily carry the 408 nameplate though – that’s a marketing decision yet to be made. For now we can refer to it as the T73 sedan. Watch out for an update on that later this night.

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Nasim Sdn Bhd, part of the Naza Group and the distributor of Peugeot in Malaysia, will undertake a rebranding exercise which will involve all its branches and dealers. This follows the French carmaker’s recent unveiling of a new global brand identity along with an updated logo. “The re-branding exercise will take place at our four new branches first before being carried out at the existing 10 branches and eight dealerships,” the company said, adding that the entire exercise was expected to be completed by year-end.

Four new branches? Yes, Nasim plans to expand its branch network to four new locations – Ampang, Puchong, Ipoh and Melaka – over the coming months. Four new models are slated for 2010, as announced earlier.

PSA Peugeot Citroen and Mitsubishi met this week in Tokyo to negotiate a deal that may give the French carmaker a controlling stake in the Japanese company, two people familiar with the matter said to Bloomberg. Both currently work together in sharing vehicles, but this development looks set to create an alliance in the Renault-Nissan mould.

A transaction would involve share swaps. At least four scenarios are being discussed, with one proposal of Peugeot taking 51 per cent of Mitsubishi in exchange for $1.8 billion in cash and 18 per cent of Peugeot, although that plan didn’t win support, the sources added.

PSA may be suffering from peer pressure. VW recently bought into Suzuki, while Renault has a significant holding in Nissan. Mitsubishi may not be the perfect Asia bride though. Nissan is a much bigger company than the Lancer’s maker, with a bigger global footprint. Renault and it are jointly investing in India and Russia, markets with huge growth potential. Suzuki meanwhile, is the market leader in India and has annouced plans to add small-car production in emerging markets including Pakistan, Indonesia and Vietnam.

If the deal falls through, PSA will be the second European partner for Mitsubishi. Germany-based Daimler AG bought 37 per cent of MMC in 2000 and 2001, before exiting in 2004 after refusing to pour in more aid money.

Peugeot has updated its 1.6 liter turbodiesel engine and the first car in the range to get this new engine is the new 308CC drop top. The new engine makes 112 horsepower over the outgoing model’s 110 horses and p uts out 270Nm of torque from just 1,750rpm, which is a 12.5% increase. There is an ‘overboost’ function for a temporary increase to 285Nm.

The engine’s massive torque starts from way under the low ‘peak’ of 1,750rpm – even at 1,000rpm the engine is already making 135Nm torque, then boost kicks in at 1,500rpm giving the engine 242Nm. Higher up the rev range at 3,500rpm, torque starts to taper down to about 224Nm, and the peak horsepower of 112hp is achieved at 3,600rpm.

The new engine meets Euro 5 emissions standards and will soon make its way into other Peugeot cars. The particulate filter has a lifespan of just over 180,000km. No hopes of this particular engine making its way into Peugeot cars here in Malaysia as even with an upgrade to Euro 2, we aren’t able to use these very clean Euro 5 engines. But there may be hope for modified older versions…

Peugeot’s produced this pretty cool video showcasing the history of Peugeot products over the past few years in a quite funky manner, probably to herald the coming of a whole new design identity for Peugeot, as shown in the new Peugeot SR1 Concept to be exhibited at Geneva.

Right now with the Detroit Motorshow coming up real soon, you’d think that the car manufacturers would be all about Detroit, but Peugeot is already setting up the stage for its more Euro-centric Geneva exhibit coming up soon. Understandably, as it has no North American presence whatsoever.

And Peugeot’s Geneva exhibit is a very important exhibit indeed, as the new Peugeot SR1 concept car will be shown to the public for the first time, a car which features Peugeot’s new design direction for the new decade!

And there you have it. The huge wide mouthed grille is now gone, replaced by a slimmer and sleeker version. The car also features a restyled version of Peugeot’s logo, shown on the left. It’s a very good looking coupe indeed, and the hard top can be taken off for open top driving pleasure. Looks like some sort of a baby Aston Martin with an inverted grille.

Powering the SR1 concept is a combination of motors, producing a total of 313 horsepower peak output. It is a hybrid, using HYbrid4 technology that combined a 218 horsepower 1.6 liter THP turbo engine at the front and a rear electric motor (yes, all wheel drive) making 95 horses. The SR1 can also run on the electric motor alone, turning it into a zero emissions vehicle. Peugeot claims 57.7mpg on the Euro combined cycle.

The SR1’s chassis is built with a one piece body incorporating a tubular structure. The mechanical components and suspension bits are then mounted onto this tubular chassis. You get double wishbones with drop links at both front and rear, and there is also four-wheel steering using motorised links on the rear suspension wishbones to control the rear wheel angles.

Look after the jump for hi-res photos of the new SR1.

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