Biggest hint dropped Peugeot will make Landtrek in South Africa

Stellantis South Africa has provided the biggest hint to date that the bakkie it will be producing at its plant in the Coega Special Economic Zone outside Gqeberha in 2026 will be the Peugeot Lanktrek.

Rumours true?

Rumoured but not confirmed at the conglomerate’s local production announcement eight months ago, the latest statement released on Wednesday (15 November) does not explicitly confirm the Landtrek outright, stating instead it is “being earmarked for local manufacture in 2026”, a year after the facility’s reported opening.

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Based on the depicted images, a further clue comes in the “Africa Edition” branding on the doors, as the rest of the release does not disclose whether the nomenclature makes reference to a limited edition model with the name in the question.

The significance goes further, as apart from the statement mentioning bakkie versions of the 203 and 403, it also names the 404 and 504 Pick-Ups, which were some of the last Peugeot models made in South Africa before the brand’s departure as a result of the political situation in the late 1980s.

Not been an easy road

A rebadged version of the Kaicene F70 made in China as part of Peugeot’s joint venture with Changan Automobile, the Landtrek has struggled to amass a sufficient market foothold since its debut in 2021, with sales, in some instances, falling short of passing 50 units a month.

According to the latest Naamsa figures for 2023 until October, a total of 267 units have been moved, with the best recorded figure of 63 last month.

While offered in other markets with a 2.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine, the South African-spec Landtrek is powered solely by a 1.9-litre turbodiesel that sends 110kW/350Nm to the rear or all four wheels through a six-speed automatic gearbox only.

Confirmed to provide the base for the delayed Fiat Titano in South America, the apparent confirmation of production, which forms part of a R3-billion investment, will lead to the creation of 1 000 jobs at the Gqeberha plant and the capacity to produce 50 000 units a year from complete knockdown (CKD) kits sourced from China.

More to come?

In addition, Stellantis’ reveal last week that the next generation Fiat Strada will revert back to being a world model, i.e., made in left-and-right-hand-drive, has ignited more speculation that it too could be made locally.

As mentioned, though, this is purely speculative, as the current Strada is expected to remain in production until at least 2026 on account of having gone on-sale in South America three years ago.

For now, despite all certainty pointing to the Landtrek joining the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max, Volkswagen Amarok and Mahindra Pik Up in being the newest one-ton bakkie made on South African soil, official confirmation remains outstanding and will most likely only be revealed next year.

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