Ever wondered what a Peugeot 206 would look like as a pick-up? Well, folks in Brazil need wonder no more…
Compact hatchbacks and the odd quirkily-styled crossover or CC are the more conventional preserve of French carmaker Peugeot, but the latest model to emerge from the company’s Brazilian arm is responsible for bringing the term “savoir-faire” into the half-ton pick-up segment.
Based on the Brazilian-built 206 Escapade (a pseudo-SUV styled version of the 206 SW with enlarged fender cladding and other “rugged touches), the Hoggar Escapade serves up 1 151 dm³ of load space and a 742 kg payload wrapped up in a Peugeot-flavoured package that “combines the robustness and reliability of a pick-up with the design and dynamism that distinguishes the Marque.”
The Hoggar Escapade will be built at Peugeot’s Porto Real factory in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It will be manufactured on the same production line as such region-specific models as the 206 hatchback, saloon and SW models – all of which share the Hoggar’s 207-esque design touches. It’s a model with which the company hopes to secure 10 percent of the lucrative half-ton pick-up market in South America.
Technical details are thin on the ground, but the Hoggar is expected to sport three trim levels and a choice of 1,4- and 1,6-litre engines.
Given this model’s market-specific bent, it’s unlikely that we’ll see the Hoggar playing our roads with the likes of the Opel Corsa Ute, Nissan NP200 and Fiat Strada.
