PSA, Changan to develop one-ton pickup
PSA Group is developing a one-ton pickup with joint-venture partner Changan Automobile Co. to be launched in China and global markets by 2020.
The project is the first result of an agreement signed between PSA and Changan in June in which PSA agreed to invest 500 million euros (3.9 billion yuan) to shore up its struggling Chinese operations.
The joint venture between the two companies was launched six years ago to market the upscale DS brand in China.
The pickup will be built in Changan's assembly plant in Ding Zhou, PSA said, and will be engineered to meet worldwide standards. PSA will sell it in China and overseas.
PSA plans to use the pickup to triple overseas sales volumes for light commercial vehicles by 2021, the company said.
PSA re-entered the pickup market in a limited way in September when it launched sales of the Tunisian-built Peugeot Pick Up in Africa.
That model was developed in cooperation with PSA's other Chinese joint-venture partner, Dongfeng, which holds a 14 percent stake in PSA. The 5008 mm-long, double-cab truck is based on the Dongfeng Rich pickup and is equipped with Nissan’s 2.5-liter turbodiesel engine.
The global market for one-ton pickups is thriving. In the first six months of the year, 323,000 midsize pickups were registered in Asia and 120,000 in South America, according to JATO Dynamics. European registrations have climbed 19 percent to 80,600 in the first half.
PSA does not yet have a one-ton pickup in Europe, where Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Volkswagen have entries. Renault and Mercedes are entering the market this year with the Alaskan and X Class, which are versions of the Nissan Navara.
The joint venture between the two companies was launched six years ago to market the upscale DS brand in China.
The pickup will be built in Changan's assembly plant in Ding Zhou, PSA said, and will be engineered to meet worldwide standards. PSA will sell it in China and overseas.
PSA plans to use the pickup to triple overseas sales volumes for light commercial vehicles by 2021, the company said.
PSA re-entered the pickup market in a limited way in September when it launched sales of the Tunisian-built Peugeot Pick Up in Africa.
That model was developed in cooperation with PSA's other Chinese joint-venture partner, Dongfeng, which holds a 14 percent stake in PSA. The 5008 mm-long, double-cab truck is based on the Dongfeng Rich pickup and is equipped with Nissan’s 2.5-liter turbodiesel engine.
The global market for one-ton pickups is thriving. In the first six months of the year, 323,000 midsize pickups were registered in Asia and 120,000 in South America, according to JATO Dynamics. European registrations have climbed 19 percent to 80,600 in the first half.
PSA does not yet have a one-ton pickup in Europe, where Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Volkswagen have entries. Renault and Mercedes are entering the market this year with the Alaskan and X Class, which are versions of the Nissan Navara.
