Peugeot Citroën South Africa’s new managing director has confirmed a new bakkie wearing the Peugeot badge is scheduled to hit local roads in 2021.
Speaking to CARmag.co.za at the local launch of the 108 and 5008, Xavier Gobille confirmed the as-yet-unrevealed model would be offered in SA.
“I’ve seen a pre-production model and can say that it’s coming to South Africa in 2021. We’ve yet to establish if it will be sold via our passenger-car dealership network, or our commercial network,” Gobille said.
Earlier in September 2019, Jean-Philippe Imparato, global CEO of the Peugeot brand, said the new pick-up would be revealed “in the coming months to cover certain markets”.
So, what do we know about this new bakkie? Well, very little. But in September 2017 the French firm put out a press release confirming it had signed an agreement with Chinese firm ChangAn Automobile to “co-develop a new vehicle platform” that would underpin a “new one-tonne pick-up for both partners”.
“This new vehicle should meet the most stringent worldwide regulations and customers’ expectation with a very strong design and uncompromised quality and durability. At a first stage, the one-tonne pick-up should be offered to Chinese customers and Groupe PSA overseas markets,” the statement said.
And, in June 2019, ChangAn revealed its version, badged as the “F70” and pictured alongside this story.
In broader terms, Gobille said the firm had concrete plans to change the perception around the brand in South Africa.
“We’ve had to be very tough on ourselves and admit to a number of legacy issues around the standards of our dealership and aftermarket service. So, a sweeping change that’s restructured our dealership network and complete retraining in technical and customer services disciplines will ensure peace of mind for both owners and prospective buyers,” he said.
