The Peugeot BB1 concept

A complete rethink of the car by Peugeot. The BB1 concept is an electric car which carries 4 people and designed so that it is only 2.5 metres long - smaller than the Smart ForTwo and Toyota iQ. The car made its debut at the Frankfurt International Motor show.

Instead of a steering wheel, the car has handle bars and no pedals on the floor. Similar to a bike, the accelerator and brake levers are on the handles.

Check out the video:

Malaysia to become regional hub for Peugeot

French carmaker Peugeot has chosen the Malaysian Naza group to spearhead its expansion in the region following the success of the marque in the country. The Naza Group was appointed official distributor for the Peugeot brand in January 2008. 3,766 units of Peugeot vehicles were sold in 2009 which accounted for 86% of Peugeot sales in the Asean region.

Former Malaysian PM Tun Dr Mahathir launched the Peugeot 207 yesterday. Codenamed as the T33 Project, the car is different from the 207 sold here in the UK and is actually a modified version of the 206. The only difference from the 206 is that it has a slightly elongated boot at the back making it a sedan. The car will be assembled at the Naza plant in Gurun, Kedah.

The car is powered by a 1.6L engine and price on the road with insurance starts from RM72,888 (approx. £14647).

Click link for information on Car rental France.

Peugeot Citroën and Mitsubishi to collaborate in in Russia

According to a news release, PSA Peugeot Citroën and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation will set up a joint venture in Russia. The JV will produce vehicles for 3 brands, namely, Peugeot, Citroën and Mitsubishi in aassembly plant which will be located in Kaluga, 180 kmd South-West of Moscow.

The plant will have a capacity of 160,000 vehicles and the the foundation stone of this future plant will be laid on June 10th 2008. Production is planned to start in 2011.

This JV follows the sucessful launch of the an SUV - the Peugeot 4007, which was jointly launched in 2007, for the European market. Read Paul Tan's post about the Peugeot 4007 here.

Fiat 500, Kia Cee’d and Peugeot 308 receives five stars in safety tests

The new Fiat 500 received five stars in adult occupant protection with an overall score of 35 points in a recent press release from Euro NCAP. Another car in the same supermini category - the Renault Twingo also did quite well, receiving a four-star result in adult occupant protection with an overall score of 28 points.

No child protection rating was available for the Twingo as there was not enough space to fit Renault’s recommended child restraints in the rear seats with the front seats set to Euro NCAP’s test position for adults.


The Kia Cee'd

Two cars in the small family car category also received Five stars in Adult Occupant Protection. The Kia Cee’d is the first Kia to receive 5 stars since Euro NCAP first tested this make of car in 2003. The Peugeot 308, received five stars in adult occupant protection and a higher result in pedestrian protection than the Kia Cee’d, with a three star score.

Click the following links for their full test results:

• Fiat 500
• Renault Twingo
• Kia Cee'd
• Peugeot 308

Peugeot 207 CC coming soon

The eagerly awaited model from Peugeot will go for sale in March in the UK.

The car goes topless in only 25 seconds on the press of a button. It will be available in two 1.6 litre petrol engines and one diesel engine models. Both engines are made in the UK jointly with BMW.

The 207 Coupe Convertible is considered as the successor of the highly popular 206 CC.

Here are the prices:

1.6 16v 120:
Sport: £14,795
GT: £15,995
15,895

1.6 16v 120 Automatic
Sport: £15,795
GT: £16,995

1.6 THP 150
GT: £16,895

1.6 HDi 110 FAP
Sport: £15,895
GT:£17,095

Tags: 207 CC Peugeot

Mitsubishi signs agreement with PSA Peugeot Citroen

according to an announcement today, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and PSA Peugeot Citroen have signed a new collaborative agreement under which by PSA Peugeot Citroen will supply diesel engines to Mitsubishi Motors from mid-2007.

The engine is the state-of-the-art 2.2l common-rail, direct-injection diesel engine. This engine will also be fitted with a PSA Peugeot Citroën patented particulate filter to deliver outstanding environmental performance.

Read the details of this agreement here.

Tags: Agreement Citroen Mitsubishi Peugeot

Ryton factory to close

The Ryton factory in Coventry will close completely later this month. Peugeot had stopped production of the 206 before Christmas.

The factory has a long and varied history. It was built in 1939 to manufacture engines for war planes during the 2nd World War. They only started building cars there in 1946 with the Sunbeam-Talbot by the Rootes Group.

The Rootes group lost control of the factory in the 1960s due to financial difficulties. Chrysler Europe bought over the group and continued to build cars at Ryton. However, they too faced problems and sold the plant to Peugeot in 1978 for the sum of $1. AT that time it was known as the Talbot Motor Company. Peugeot built the first car there in 1985.

Some facts
- The Talbot names was dropped in 1995 and the company became Peugeot Motor Company Plc.
- Robots were first used in 1985.

- The plant stopped production of the 306 in 1999 and the plant was left producing only the 206.

- The closure of the factory by Peugeot leads to the loss of 2,300 jobs in Coventry.

The British should be thankful that Proton is not leaving Norwich.

Tags: Coventry Peugeot Ryton