Rumours suggest Peugeot and Citroen is only days away from announcing the launch of a ute, and with a platform-sharing deal with Toyota in hand for its vans, the HiLux could be the base.
THE TOYOTA HILUX is being tipped to become Peugeot and Citroen’s first new ute since the Peugeot 504 ute ended production in 1993. Back then, almost no-one in Europe wanted a ute, but the segment is booming around the world, not least here in Australia.
At the European reveal of the new Peugeot Expert and Citroen Dispatch vans (which are being considered for the Australian market), Peugeot CEO Maxime Picat said: “We always consider the pick-up market as an opportunity, it’s part of our history. We’re thinking about it. We update our group strategy on Tuesday 5th April and we’ll mention which cars we will be targeting. I will be able to reveal more then.”
When quizzed about the possibility of a ute being offered by the French car maker, Denis Martin, CEO of PSA Europe, said: “Maybe. You will see. It’s not a question for today, but you will know more next week.”
That sounds like a Yes to us. While it’s not known for sure whether the HiLux would be the donor, it’s considered the best bet. See, PSA has a deal with Toyota to platform-share its medium-sized vans and with the HiLux one of the best known utes on the market, it makes sense. And, by sharing the HiLux’s platform the French car maker would probably be able to avoid the usual French-made car jokes…
So, if a HiLux-based Peugeot or Citroen ute was offered, would you consider it?
