Bermaz Auto Alliance Sdn Bhd (BAASB) will soon be adding another model to its Peugeot range and this one will surprise many people: it’s a pick-up truck. Although the French carmaker has been making motor vehicles for over 100 years, pick-up trucks have never featured strongly in its range of products, even though the vehicles have been around almost as long as the passenger car.

This will be the first market in the Asia Pacific region to have the Peugeot truck, which has the name of Landtrek. However, the truck already exists in Asia – except that it is not sold as a Peugeot product but as the Kaicene F70 from Changan Automobile which jointly developed the model with Peugeot.

Peugeot’s representative in 1-ton truck segment
Introduced in the Latin American market in 2020 and then in some African markets, the Landtrek gives Peugeot a representative in a segment of significance that it has not been represented in. However, with existing players like the Toyota Hilux and Isuzu D-MAX dominant in this segment, the potential volumes for a Peugeot truck would not have justified it spending a huge sum of money to develop its own model.

So it teamed up with the Chinese carmaker to develop a new truck, which reduced the development costs the same way as Ford and Volkswagen with the Ranger/Amarok and Isuzu and Mazda with the D-MAX/BT-50. The platforms are shared with common engineering and the differentiation is in how each manufacturer styles their model.

There are various cabs for the Landtrek but for Malaysia, the double cab is the most popular, especially as BAASB would be targeting the lifestyle market rather than promoting it as a workhorse. The large grille aperture of the truck lends itself well to inserting the latest Peugeot face which has a larger corporate ‘face’ with the PEUGEOT name on the top edge and a full Lion in the middle.

Landtrek has an overall length of 5.33 metres and width of 1.92 metres, which is pretty much like the Hilux. Trucks in this 1-ton segment are all roughly the same in size and variations are mainly in the dimensions of the cargo area. From what we saw of the display unit recently, the cargo box has a 500 mm depth, which should be useful for containing larger items. However, the floor seems to be a bit high so when open, the tailgate is also a bit higher.

1.9-litre VGT turbodiesel engine
BAASB will offer the Landtrek with a 1.9-litre 16-valve diesel engine with variable turbocharger geometry for enhanced responsiveness. The output of 150 bhp/350 Nm is delivered to the four wheels through a 6-speed Getrag gearbox and transfer case for 4×4 when needed. To give better control and stability on slippery tracks, the rear differential is equipped with an eLocker automatic disengagement system which provides extra traction when one wheel slips.

Premium cabin
The cabin has been given a premium touch with special attention paid to the comfort of the rear 3 passengers. For flexibility, the rear seats have folding backrests to place items when required. When folded down, the backrests can support a load of up to 100 kgs. In addition, two ISOFIX points allow secure and easy installation of compatible childseats.

While the i-Cockpit concept used in many of its passenger cars cannot be adopted for the Landtrek, the dashboard has still been designed for functionality and ease of operating the carious systems. There’s a 10-inch HD screen sits on top of the dashboard, easily visible to the driver and front passengers and instead of relying on just a touchscreen, toggle switches provide more positive control and selection.

It can be expected that the Landtrek will come with a comprehensive set of safety features and systems. These days, with pick-up trucks being used more on highways and travelling at high speeds, the need for active safety systems is just as important as in passenger cars. And of course, being in a truck means the driver has a better view all round from the higher position.

The Landtrek will be launched soon and the estimated price starts at RM123,000. Bookings are accepted at Peugeot showrooms if you want to be first to own a Peugeot pick-up truck.