Peugeot reveal future product plans

Peugeot is tapping out of its fast car range.

The French brand will instead focus on building its more mainstream range in the short to medium term, including a move into the one-tonne ute market.

The announcement comes from Peugeot CEO, Jean-Philippe Imparato, who discussed the brand's future plans with British publication Autocar.

"Right now our main goal is to grow to beyond two million units a year, but also to spread our footprint and to sell more than 50 per cent of our cars outside of Europe," Imparato said.

"Until we do that, I'm much more interested in cars that sell in hundreds of thousands than those that sell in smaller numbers."

Peugeot 308 R Hybrid

This statement spells the end for low-volume cars like the RCZ coupe and the high performance 308 R Hybrid which had already progressed from concept to prototype.

However, Imparato didn't rule out a future performance car entirely, he left the door open to a return to high-performance motoring over the longer term with the suggestion that a future car might be able to claim a Nurburgring lap record.

"With Peugeot Sport, I believe we have the team to make such a car. It would be expensive, but so what? We could do it," he claimed.

While cars with enthusiast appeal aren't high on Peugeot's list of priorities, workhorse vehicles are. Imparato has revived talk of a Peugeot branded 4x4 ute, a vehicle considered vital to the French automaker's plans to launch a full-scale return to the African market as part of the goal to expand its reach outside of Europe.

"With a one-tonne pick-up truck, we can tap into a huge global market. We could either develop one within the group or with a partner and our existing connections" Imparato revealed, reinforcing suggestions that Groupe PSA (Peugeot and Citroen's parent company) could turn to existing commercial vehicle partner Toyota for assistance.

Peugeot would have plenty of time to develop its own version of the Toyota on-tonne ute as the current HiLux is only two years in to its product cycle. This move would help Peugeot compete with vehicles like the Renault Alaskan and Fiat Fullback, which are based on the Nissan Navara and Mitsubishi Triton respectively.

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