Archive for Peugeot

Pictured above is my extremely newbie attempt at photoshopping how the Naza NX-02 could look like. Forgive my noob-ness. At least I tried! Advertisements for the new Naza NX-02 have appeared in the newspapers, meaning the car should be launched really soon.

The advertisement (click the image on the left for a bigger version of the advertisement clip) says the car is open for booking now, and the price is given as RM6X,XXX, which should put it in the RM60,000 to RM70,000 range, just as mentioned before. Other specifications mentioned are 1.4 liter MPFI engines, 4-speed Automatic with Porsche Tiptronic System, a well-tuned agile chassis, 5-door versality (hatchback), central digital display, dual airbags, anti-lock braking system, and a 3 year / 100,000 km warranty. The advertisement states that ABS is standard on AT models, which seems to indicate that a manual transmission model will be available. It also means anti-lock brakes will not be available on all models, but dual airbags will likely be standard following the trend set by the Naza Sutera.

Since we don’t have the official specs of the Naza NX-02 yet, I’ll just list the specifications of the Peugeot 206 1.4 Tiptronic that it is based on here. The 1.4 liter engine is a 1,360cc 8-valve single-cam engine that makes 74 horsepower at 5,500rpm and 120Nm of torque at a low 2,800rpm. This should make the new Naza hatchback really nice to drive around the city, as the engine will not be out of breath at lower RPMs. An 8-valve configuration promotes better airflow velocity at low RPMs, hence the excellent low-end torque. Other examples of modern engines using 8-valve configurations are like Honda’s 1.5 liter i-DSI engine which uses 8-valves. Top speed is rated at 161km/h and 0-100km/h acceleration is rated at 15.2 seconds.

This is the original Peugeot 206 dashboard, so I expect the Naza NX-02 version will look like this with slight variations. They did mention a central digital display as one of the features, so I expect it is that small LCD at the top of the center dashboard area. Or they could also mean they’ve moved the dashboard meters to that area, like the Naza Sutera’s and are displaying data like speed and RPM in digital form like Honda S2000, though this is more of wishful hoping from a gadget-cum-car enthusiast than reality, likely not to happen.

Related Posts:
Naza 206 Bestari In-depth
Naza 206 Bestari Sport Concept

A quick update, officials from PSA Peugeot Citroen has acknowledged discussions have been held on possible cooperations on projects but there is no current confirmed plan to engage in a joint project. No further details were given. It is probably still too early for anything to be confirmed, and sources for the previous piece of news has given a timeline of a few months for anything to be signed anyway.

Proton previously announced their new partnerships will be revealed by the end of April. It’s a week into May now, but The Edge has reported quoting unnamed sources that Proton’s new partner will be French automobile company PSA Peugeot Citroen.

Proton and PSA Peugeot Citroen

It’s not known whether talks involve an equity transfer, but what is revealed are plans to jointly develop a small car for the Southeast Asian market that could be marketed under either brand. It is believed that the car would be similiar to the Peugeot 106, which was a small hatchback.

The Peugeot 106’s sister was the Citroen Saxo, which was developed to replace the Citroen AX. The Citroen AX of course, was rebadged locally as a Proton Tiara. The Peugeot 106 has since been replaced by the Peugeot 107 (Citroen C1), which shares a platform with the Toyota Aygo. A small car like this could very well replace the Proton Iswara as Proton’s staple offering for the budget market, if it was a sedan instead of a hatchback. Of course, do not misunderstand the mention of the Peugeot 106. It doesn’t mean Proton will be rebadging Peugeot 106 cars, I think it was just used in the report as a reference as to what car Proton and Peugeot would be building together. PSA Peugeot Citroen’s French competitor Renault has a budget automobile developed together with Romanian car manufacturer Dacia, called the Renault Logan, which is basically a Dacia Logan - a Renault Clio platform with a boot. Peugeot could be thinking along the lines of the same strategy Renault has used to enter the budget car market.

Proton officials could not be reached for comment, but sources say that senior management of both companies have met and a memorandum could be signed in a few month’s time. But PSA is not the only company that Proton is in talks with.

Proton and Volkswagen AG

New negotiations with Volkswagen AG have been on-going, and rumours are that Proton might set up a joint-venture company with Volkswagen AG to jointly develop Proton-badged cars to be sold across South-east Asia and India. Word is that it would be a 49:51 joint venture between Proton and Volkswagen, with Volkswagen having the majority share. Two Proton-Volkswagen JV cars are in the pipelines and they will be based on a Volkswagen platform. When asked about the report, Volkswagen spokespersons repeated what it’s CEO had said previously, that any future plans with Proton would be to support Proton only, with no joint ventures or joint programs.

We’ll have to wait for official news from Proton then on whether these reports are true or not, as The Edge did not name a source for the news. I’m really eager for any new updates on where Proton’s heading, as well as eagerly awaiting the launch of the Satria Replacement Model.

Source: Forbes, Reuters

Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobile Company Ltd, a joint venture company between French company PSA Peugeot Citroen and Chinese automobile company Dongfeng Motor Group is recalling nearly 20,000 cars due to a faulty alternator.

An alternator converts alternating current into direct current to supply power to car components. The models affected are the Elysee and Fukang vehicles made between 1 December 2005 and 9 March 2006. The faulty alternator will be replaced for free.

There has been 11 recalls this year in China, showing that Chinese car manufacturers take their vehicles seriously and are responsible with after-sales support. But of course, this has been encouraged by the Chinese governmetn in the form of the State General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine which enforces auto recall regulations put in place back in October 2004.

How nice. Peugeot has been planting trees since 1999 in Brazil, as part of it’s contribution to the environment to compensate for the pollution that Peugoet cars produce. It’s not that Peugeot cars are less environment-friendly than other marques, but I suppose they just feel it’s part of social responsibility, and it’s very good PR as well.

Over 6 years two million trees have been planted, and Peugeot says it helps offset 55,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. The project will last another 34 years, as it is a 40-year project.