PSA Peugeot Citroën to reveal new pick-up truck

PSA Peugeot Citroën is tipped to announce that it will enter the booming pick-up truck market next week, possibly as part of a joint venture with Toyota or Fiat.

Speaking at the launch of the mid-sized Citroën Dispatch and Peugeot Expert vans today, both Peugeot boss Maxime Picat and the CEO of PSA Europe, Denis Martin, fended off questions about joining the pick-up market, saying an announcement was due next week.

On 5 April, PSA Peugeot Citroën is expected to reveal a six-year growth plan under the working name 'Push to Pass', a reference to the boost button on some race cars that allows them to achieve maximum performance for short periods in order to overtake. A pick-up truck is expected to be part of that strategy.

It is unlikely that PSA would develop such a vehicle alone, because sales volumes in the sector do not justify the investment costs. As such, it is likely to reveal a joint venture with either Toyota, with whom it is building the Proace as a sister vehicle to the Dispatch and Expert, or Fiat, with which it is already working on the joint Fiat Ducato, Peugeot Boxer and Citroën Jumper project.

Rivals for the mooted pick-up will include the Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max, Mitsubishi L200, Nissan Navara and Volkswagen Amarok. Both Renault and Mercedes are working on a joint venture project to launch a pick-up, while Fiat is also preparing to enter the sector.

Peugeot was the last PSA brand to have a pick-up truck on sale in Europe, selling the 504 pick-up until the early 1990s.