By Danlami Nasir Isah
PAN Nigeria Limited has launched the much awaited Peugeot Pickup in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory on Thursday. The commercial launch, which was conducted by the Director-General of the Nigerian Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Jelani Aliyu, was attended by top government officials, heads of procurement units of the various ministries, departments and agencies and the entire dealership of the premier auto company.
The company’s production of pickups dated back to 1956 when SCOA introduced the Peugeot 504 pickup due to its popular demand at that time, for agricultural and utility purposes. Since its introduction, the lion brand dominated the pickup segment in the country up to 15 years ago when the Kaduna-based company phased out the old model production.
The newly launched pickup model features a good measure of roominess and facilities, thus fulfilling the fundamental needs for robustness, endurance and the 4×4 drivetrain.
The vehicle also features a high body belt line, a vertical front, a horizontal bonnet and a large ground clearance (210mm to 215 mm).
The load zone has a bed measuring 1.40m long and 1.39m wide, equipped with anchoring hooks on the outside. The side walls and the real panel are completely covered with a protective resin which adds to the rigidity and robustness of the whole vehicle. The maximum payload of the vehicle is 815kg.
The new pickup is said to have a performance drivetrain adapted to the needs of the core market, adding that its longitudinal 2.5 litre common rail turbo diesel engine develops 115bhp and 280Nm, combined with a manual five-speed gearbox. It is available in 4×4 and 4×2 versions. According to the firm, the 4×4 version is engaged using a special lever to transmit some of the power to the front drivetrain.
The 4×4 version is reported to give the new vehicle versatility, easy use in every weather condition and all terrains. “This allows the driver to make a selection where needed, whether in normal 4×4 4H (4 High) mode or in the 4L (4 Low) mode at short speeds. Thanks to a reducer, extra torque can be applied at very slow speeds to manoeuvre out of the most extreme driving situations,” it states.
Other features of the vehicle are manual air-conditioning, electrically operated windows, radio with CD player and USB port.
“For safety and ease of driving, the new Peugeot pickup is equipped as standard with an ABS braking system with brakeforce distribution, rear parking aids, passenger and driver air bags, plus electrically adjustable exterior mirrors”, Pan says.
The Valuechain Magazine enquiry reveals that the entry price of the diesel engine pickup is around N10.5 million which is far affordable than other competing brands in the market.
In his remarks during the launch, the Managing Director of the company, Ibrahim Boyi called on all Nigerians to patronize the new pickup.
He said apart from the known attributes of the lion brand that the customers will enjoy from the product, buying Peugeot brand means keeping the jobs of many Nigerians working at the kaduna factory.
While other competitors import their products, PAN Nigeria Limited adds value to the economy by producing in the country, thereby keeping the Nigerian jobs.