Making the lion roar again

Jay Truman from Peugeot in South Africa would like to inform the public the special on the 108 of will last three months. Order while its hot.

Three things you didn't know about Peugeot.

- Ettore Bugatti build the Type BP1 Peugeot in 1912;

- Batista Farina designed the 403 in 1956;

- Ferdinand Porsche wanted to name his car the 901, but had to settle for 911, coz the pug had already trademarked the "oh" in the middle.

Farina's taut, minimalist design went on to establish a reputation in Africa, where people in some areas still call all cars a Peugeot, regardless of make, thanks to the bullet-riddled-but-still-going 504s.

Another thing you didn't know, Peugeot is far advanced in making a bakkie, (a pickup to you Trump voters and utes for all you Antipodeans). This twitching of tails in the pride is because back into Paris, the suits in the PSA group have been eyeing all the markets where Peugeot once dominated in reliability and resale values, and now hope to claw back lost market share with its luxury SUV and budget car offerings.

Ian Loubser's remake of the 1969 Peugeot 504 two-door, a car he, for a change, did not build for a movie. 

This will hopefully end the cheap rebranding of the Nissan NP200 for select African markets. It may also untangle the convuluted game of brand-Twister the PSA Group and the Nissan-Renault alliance have been playing.
We car nuts saw the shameful way Nissan has abused the Japanese legal system to hound CEO Charles Goshin out of the Nissan-Renault alliance, and will hope a future Peugeot bakkie will sport no Nissan underpinnings a la Merc.

Meanwhile, the people at Peugeot say they are back in the race and restarting the brand on Africa's southern tip, hoping to make the Lion roar again. Or at least sing "hakuna matada".

The Peugeot 5008 hopes to make lion roar again in South Africa.

The return starts with a low price of R179,900 on the entry level 108, a 1-litre that has all the digital trimmings -- and six explosive devices called airbags, which is rather a lot for entry level cars.

Peugeot's has been hiring the sharpest car sellers in Afrique de Sud, lining up dealers who appreciate the motion and emotion of the brand, and done away with all models that does not have an edge on the competition.
So you can be pretty sure a Peugeot is near the top of the short list of best value offerings if you are in the market for a small hatch or SUV. 
As we said here about the RCZ and her about the 3008, you will look far for better underpinnings and more luxuries in a car. These Pugs can like to handle.
Peugeot plans to double the 25 dealers in SA to 50 by 2020, with applications reportedly streaming in. But they need to bring that bakkie, as one in three South Africans buy doublecabs, and without a useless bin on the back, they won't be able to, ahem, pick up this market share.
The fans will be asking "what took you so long?" but for new comers to the brand, the new 5-year or 100,000 km warranty and service plan will act like a "push to pass" marketing strategy.

Over 300 years of legacy, with a wee green one a 1903 type 54 that still runs.