Bermaz Auto Alliance Sdn Bhd, the sole distributor of the esteemed Peugeot brand in Malaysia, is presently running an enticing promotion aimed at providing customers with added value and peace of mind.
This special offer encompasses a comprehensive 7-year warranty, ensuring an extended period of coverage and reliability. Alongside this, customers will enjoy the benefit of a 7-year Free Service Maintenance plan, encompassing essential maintenance needs and servicing, further enhancing the ownership experience.
Peugeot is not a brand that you would usually associate with commercial vehicles, not in Malaysia at least. But in fact, Peugeot commercial vehicles go all the way back to 1904, and Peugeot commercial vans are a common sight in Europe.
It would require an article by itself just to trace Peugeot’s history of creating commercial vehicles. But the fact of the matter is that Peugeot knows how to make commercial vehicles and they have been at it for a long time.
But there is a spin here, the Landtrek is not a true-blue Peugeot product, it is in fact a Chinese product that is jointly developed by China’s state owned Changan Automobile Group and the PSA Group (Peugeot’s parent company).
Underneath the good looks is actually a Chinese built pick-up called the Kaicene F70 which began life in 2019. Featuring a body on frame build, the Kaicene F70 is designed for heavy duty work and has done well in China where it is a common workhorse.
Pick-up trucks in Malaysia though need to be more than a workhorse, they should have good looks and offer an interior that feels like a car with features and ride quality that can put some modern sedans to shame.
That may sound like a lost to ask but there are pick-up trucks currently available in the Malaysian market that check all those boxes. Trucks like the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and Isuzu D-Max are some of those. So how does the Landtrek stack up and can it hold a wheel to the established pick-up truck players?
Design wise, the Landtrek is typically Peugeot with a large vertical grille and a Peugeot emblem that dominates the front of the truck. The DRL’s too are uniquely Peugeot and are designed to look like a lion’s canines.
The back of the truck is nothing fancy, and it is worth noting that the tail gate does not come with an easy lift system, which unfortunately makes it quite heavy to open and close. Do it often enough and you may develop some impressive biceps. And despite what the photos may show, all Landtrek’s sold in Malaysia will come with a bed liner.
Step inside and it is a different world that greets you, one that is also uniquely Peugeot. Current Peugeot owners will recognize the steering wheel and the piano keys at the centre of the dashboard.
The meter panel consist of analogue dials that flank a small 4.2-inch colour display that gives you a digital speed reading as well as access to the car’s settings.
At the centre of the dashboard lays a dominant 10-inch infotainment system that comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Quality is quite decent too and there’s nothing the driver would be left wanting. Not as far as the interior goes at least.
So far, the Peugeot Landtrek is quite impressive. Even the seats are electronically adjustable and are clad is soft leather. It is also needs to be mentioned that the Landtrek is one of the only pick-up trucks in the segment that offers electronically operated seats for both driver and passenger. Usually, it is just the driver that enjoys that feature.
The seats are decently wide too as long as you are not on the chunky side of the spectrum. Thigh support also deserves a special mention as they offer great support.
On the topic of driving the Landtrek, it truly feels like it belongs in the early 2000s. The diesel clatter for one is quite audible. If you are standing at the front of the truck while having a conversation, the engine noise will drown you out. And from the inside, you need to increase your voice to be heard. That is not quite a deal breaker if you are looking for a pick-up to get some work done, but if you’re going to be spending a lot of time in traffic, all that racket might become annoying.
On the move, the ride quality is a nudge on the stiffer side with a tendency of hopping and skipping over bad roads rather than soaking them up. This ultimately gives it an uncomfortable feel by modern standards with some Japanese pick-up trucks supplementing interior features with a plush ride and a quiet interior.
Aside from ride quality, power delivery is as decent as you can expect from a 1.9-litre turbo diesel engine. Power is rated at 150hp and 350Nm of torque which may not seem like much, but it is the same power output as the other 1.9-litre truck in the segment, the Isuzu D-Max Standard variant. So, power may not be all that impressive, and it lacks that shove in the back when you flex your right foot, but there’s a drive mode selector that offers two driving modes – Sport and Eco.
As is typically the case, Sport mode makes the accelerator feel more responsive while Eco prioritises fuel economy, so it dulls down the overall character of the Landtrek. Now this does not magically provide more power, but at least it makes the truck feel more alive than what the 150hp may suggest.
The Landtrek also does not disappoint on the safety front with its six airbags covering almost the entire interior. There’s also ABS and Electronic Brake-Force Distribution, Emergency Brake Assist, Dynamic Stability Control and Anti-Skid Regulation. That is not to mention Hill Descent Control, Hill Start Assist and Lane Departure Warning, and that is not the complete safety suite either. So the Landtrek may seem like it is stuck in the past in some areas, but safety is most definitely on par with some modern vehicles.
All in all, the Peugeot Landtrek is a dark horse in a well-established segment, one that is not always easy to impress and tends to prefer the established players over newcomers. But the Peugeot Landtrek will undoubtedly impress those who want a left-wing truck that is out of the norm.
Standing out from the usual crowd of Toyotas, Fords and Isuzus may not actually be a bad thing either since Bermaz Auto are now custodians of the Peugeot brand in Malaysia. And judging by how well the company has done with brands like Mazda and Kia, buying a Peugeot Landtrek may put you in some pretty good company as well. And at a little over RM120,000, it definitely does not sound like a bad deal either, if you can look past some of the annoying bits.
In 2022, the Peugeot 2008 made its debut in the Malaysian market with refreshed looks and updated features. This second-generation crossover SUV is currently priced at RM133,388.
To take it all up a notch now, Bermaz Auto has introduced a Special Edition 2008.
In the mid-1970s, the arrival of the Volkswagen Golf GTI gave birth to what would come to be called ‘the hot hatch’. Though having the same appearance of the simple successor to the Beetle, the Golf GTI offered spirited, higher performance at an affordable price. Volkswagen thought they might sell 5,000 units but because it had entered the mainstream as well, the demand grew to 461,690 units by the time the first generation ended production.
The Golf GTI showed that the hatchback was not just for urban use but could also be a sporty car with driving dynamics enthusiasts would appreciate. The demand encouraged other carmakers to also start creating hotter variants of their bread and butter models and one of them was Peugeot, which came out with the 205 GTI.
‘Electrification’ is a term that the auto industry has been using a lot of in recent years. Basically, it is a transition that will see internal combustion engines being replaced by electric motors. That transition began a few years ago with commitments by some to sell only ‘electrified’ vehicles by the end of this decade.
However, the transition will not see the switch to only electric motors occurring so fast. In the coming years, there will also be another partial electrification with hybrid powertrains which still use a combustion engine but with an electric motor also helping. The technology for this has been in mass production models since the late 1990s when Toyota introduced the Prius and is less costly than fully electric powertrains at this time.
Models with hybrid powertrains can therefore be offered at lower prices, making them more widely adopted and achieving at least partial reductions in CO2 emissions. To wait for everyone to use a fully electric car will take time as economic circumstances in many regions may not make it possible for people to buy electric cars.
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.
Concept cars used to be fanciful models created by carmakers to dazzle visitors at motorshows. They had amazing technologies and features but a lot was also for show as it was either to complex or too expensive to put into production models. These days though, concept cars serve to preview the next generation of models and much of the technology shown is already under development.
With the Inception Concept presented by Peugeot at CES 2023 (the Consumer Electronics Show), the French carmaker is giving a preview of what its future models in the electric era will be like, and what advanced features they will have.
Continuing with its electrification drive forward, Peugeot has added battery electric versions of the latest 308 generation to its line-up. To be available in 2023 in Europe in hatchback and stationwagon bodystyles, the e-308 and e-308 SW join the plug-in hybrid versions already available. The e-308 SW is one of the first fully electric stationwagons from a European carmaker.
The new cars have the latest Peugeot design language with the brand’s new badge proudly displayed in the centre of the grille. However, the bonnet is longer, with fang-shaped light signature framing the Matrix LED headlamps and the 3-claw LED lights at the rear to identify the models as part of the Peugeot family.
After making its competitive debut in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) with the new Peugeot 9X8 at the Monza round in Italy two months ago, the Team Peugeot TotalEnergies is in Japan this week for a second 6-hour showdown. Two units of the new Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) will race at the Fuji Speedway this weekend to collect more information in racing conditions.
Commenting on the first race in Italy, Peugeot Sport Technical Director Olivier Jansonnie, said: “We needed that first race. We had achieved as much as we could in testing so, in order to ramp up our preparations and development, it was time to pitch ourselves directly against our opposition in a true race-weekend environment.”
Encouraged by the potential of a car whose homologation is now fixed (meaning that any further modifications will be strictly limited and regulated), the two driving crews were able to acclimatise to racing in traffic and compare the 9X8 to the championship’s other hypercars.
“We collected a great deal of information about the car and team. We also ran into a few problems that we hadn’t previously encountered in testing, some of which we were able to rectify on-site, others that we have been continuing to work on since Monza. This is a tried-and-tested process in motorsport,” Jansonnie explained.
“At this early stage, it should be noted that we are concentrating more on reliability and performance than on refining race strategies. That is perfectly normal for such a new project, up against rivals with – in some cases – more than 10 years of experience in the sport. We are all fiercely competitive here at Team Peugeot TotalEnergies and we recognise that both the car and team have scope for significant improvement, but we have yet to come across any issues that we cannot resolve, so that’s very positive,” he said.
Disappointed that the team was not able to take full advantage of the 10-minute qualifying session in Italy to properly demonstrate the 9X8’s potential, Jansonnie has since gone into even greater detail with his team in order to optimise its work on the car with the clock ticking down. It focused particularly hard on this aspect during two private tests carried out between Monza and Fuji.
“In Japan, we will be discovering the circuit for the first time, so we need to make sure we maximise every on-track session from Friday morning through to Sunday afternoon,” he stressed.
Preparing for Fuji’s challenges The 6 Hours of Fuji – Round 5 of the 2022 WEC – poses an altogether different challenge to Monza in a number of ways. Jansonnie and his team realise this, particularly as it is held halfway around the world. “For long-haul events like this, we need to adapt our procedures because we do not have the same regular facilities at our disposal – like motorhomes and trucks – as we do when we race in Europe,” he said.
The circuit and region’s unpredictable weather – with heavy and prolonged downpours likely – represent further unknowns for the team, although not for the whole team. Its drivers like Jean-Eric Vergne and Gustavo Menezes have raced at Fuji in the past, while Loic Duval and James Rossiter spent a part of their career based in Japan. The benefits of that experience will complement the data already acquired by the crews and their engineers from their work in the 9X8 simulator as they endeavour to prepare as well as possible for the unique demands of this iconic Japanese track.
The 4.563-km Fuji Speedway where the fifth round of the 2022 World Endurance Championship will be held. It was opened in December 1965 and has been owned by Toyota Motor Corporation since 2000.
“Monza could have gone better for us, but that was entirely to be expected at such an early stage of an ambitious project like this. Our car [#93] ran into problems in the race that led to our retirement. During the run that I completed in free practice, though, we were close to the Toyota in terms of pure pace, which proves that we are in the right ballpark with this non-conventional car. I’m completely convinced about that. Our first race was another significant milestone on this exciting journey and now, for Fuji, the goalposts shift again. But that’s what keeps the adrenalin flowing!” said Vergne who will share the racing car with Paul di Resta and Mikkel Jensen.
New era in endurance racing The 9X8 starts a new era for Peugeot in endurance racing, the motorsport category where it was previously victorious with the 905 and 908 in the 1990s and in 2009. Conforming to the regulations that govern the ACO and FIA’s new Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) category, the 4 wheel-drive racing prototype has a 2.6-litre bi-turbo V6 engine powering the rear wheels and a 200 kW electric motor driving the front wheels.
Inside the Peugeot 9X8.
The racing car, without a rear wing, measures 4.995 metres in length, has a width of 2 metres and is just 1.145 metres tall. With lots of lightweight materials in its bodywork, it weighs 1,030 kgs and its tank holds up to 90 litres of TotalEnergies’ 100% renewable Excellium Racing 100 fuel.
The completion of vital development and testing phases, necessary to achieving reliability and performance for the 9X8, led to its competitive debut being delayed until after the 2022 Le Mans 24 Hours. Its first entry in the WEC was thus at the 6 Hours of Monza on July 10 and this weekend, it will be at the Fuji Speedway.
Last year, when Peugeot Sport announced its new program to develop the 9X8 hypercar for endurance racing, it expected to join the World Endurance Championship in 2022. However, the team decided to forego the first two rounds, at Sebring and this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, and was planning to debut at the classic Le Mans 24-Hour race in June. However, because it has not participated in the first two rounds, the organisers have said it cannot take part in Le Mans.
Accepting the ruling in a positive way, Peugeot Sport’s Technical Director of the WEC programme, Olivier Jansonnie, said that this would give them team additional time to achieve the necessary level of reliability. “Both operationally and from a reliability perspective, Le Mans is the most difficult race on the calendar. Our planning will enable us to put the full weight of our teams and resources behind our own test sessions, without the disruption of racing at Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans. We will begin with some shorter races, which will allow us to progressively get up to speed in the championship. Like with our road-going cars when we have to choose between meeting a deadline or focussing on quality, we always prioritise quality,” he explained.
The homologation process
Before a car can enter competition, it must be homologated by the racing authorities. In the case of the new hypercar class, once homologation has been done, the design cannot be modified further until 2025 (except in very particular circumstances governed by strict conditions). Any such modifications will be counted as ‘EVO jokers’, which are limited to just five between 2021 and 2025 – aside from specific force majeure situations such as, for example, when the car’s safety or reliability is compromised.
“Restricting development in this way is important, since it would not be possible to adjust the performance of a car that is subject to constant technical updates through ‘Balance Of Performance’ (BoP) tweaks,” said Jansonnie. ”The homologation process itself consists of a series of milestones. Its schedule and execution are very precisely defined. The process concludes with the submission of a homologation file – describing in minute detail all of the vehicle’s components (with photos and weight measurements) – as well as a wind tunnel test of its aerodynamics and an inspection of the vehicle by the FIA/ACO. After this, its development is ‘frozen’. Its performance parameters are subsequently assessed in order to be able to adjust its power, weight and minimum speed of hybrid energy deployment, which are the key factors in Balance Of Performance.”
Peugeot Sport therefore has a little bit more time before it submits the 9X8 for homologation. A manufacturer judges that its car is ready to be homologated when it believes it has attained the required level of performance and reliability to be eligible for ‘Balance Of Performance’ evaluation. “That means it has the same theoretical chance of winning in the WEC and at the Le Mans 24 Hours as any of its competitors. It accepts from this point that its vehicle will not be able to undergo any further major technical changes until the end of the homologation cycle,” explained Jansonnie.
Initial existence in digital world
Prior to taking to the track for its pre-homologation test sessions, the 9X8 began life as a 51.1GB digital project, made up of 15,267 files stored on a hard drive. Digital advances have opened up a whole new realm of possibilities in motorsport, enabling Peugeot Sport’s engineers to visualise a truly disruptive concept for the new Hypercar – and validate it before manufacturing so much as a single physical component.
The sophistication of modern-day digital software makes it possible to conduct in-depth technological studies while saving significant time, money and resources, and the 9X8 lived an entirely ‘virtual existence’ for some time before finally turning its first wheel on-track. Peugeot Sport’s teams spent two years modelling and simulating it, utilising both existing software – adapted where necessary to suit the project’s specific requirements – as well as computer programs developed entirely in-house from scratch.
“Thanks to all of our software, we can envisage a wide range of dimensions, shapes and materials, and work on the weight of the car in-line with the technical regulations,” said Francois Coudrain, Powertrain Director of the WEC programme. “As with the choice of base concept, being able to take a purely digital approach to trialling systems and components allows us to assess a large number of potential solutions, which would quite simply be impossible to achieve in the real world.”
Digital simulations also allow for customisation where necessary – for example, what material to use around the exhaust outlets. Here, the heat levels are very high, and simulations revealed that the carbon bodywork needed to be either protected or even replaced by aluminium or titanium. Initially highlighted for attention in the design brief, this was corroborated during the simulation phase and then again in the first real-life test session.
From hard drive to racetrack
Following its digital development, the hard drive containing all the technical data of the Peugeot 9X8 provided the basis for the creation of an initial 1:1 scale model for wind tunnel use and, subsequently, a physical race car, whose ongoing development is taking place on the track.
‘9X8’, the designation, is derived from a combination of the brand’s motorsport heritage and vision for the future. The ‘9’ continues the series used by Peugeot on its previous endurance racing cars. The ‘X’ refers to the all-wheel drive technology and hybrid powertrain. The ‘8’ is common across all of Peugeot’s current models – from the 208 and 2008 to the 308, 3008, 508 and 5008.
No rear wing
Unique to the hypercar’s design is the absence of a rear wing – an aerodynamic feature that has long been thought necessary for racing cars. Rear wings were first seen at the 1967 Le Mans 24 Hours on the Chaparral 2F but now, after half a century, the necessity is questioned and the 9X8 has been designed without a rear wing.
“The absence of a rear wing on the Peugeot 9X8 is a major innovative step. We have achieved a degree of aerodynamic efficiency that allows us to do away with this feature. Don’t ask how, though! We have every intention of keeping that a secret as long as we possibly can!” said Jean-Marc Finot, Senior Vice-President of Stellantis Motorsport (Peugeot is part of the Stellantis Group).
Peugeot HYBRID4 powertrain
The 5-metre long racing car has a rear-mounted, 2.6-litre, bi-turbo, 680-bhp 90-degree V6 as part of the Peugeot HYBRID4 powertrain. The system output gets another 200 kW from the front-mounted 200kW motor-generator unit powered by a high-voltage 900V high-density battery pack.
The battery pack is located in a carbonfibre casing inside the car’s monocoque structure, behind the driver and underneath the fuel tank. It has been designed to combine durability with consistent performance during races of durations of up to 24 hours, and even beyond.
Although the system output is over 500 kW, the regulations set a maximum power output of just 500 kW during races. The regulations also forbid the use of electrical energy below 120 km/h, so the motor generator unit only engages once this speed has been reached. The car must pull away from standstill under the power of its internal combustion engine alone.
At full power, the power output is limited to 300 kW and adjusted as a function of the power delivered by the motor generator unit at 200 kW which is directly dependent on the battery level. When the motor generator unit comes into use, the car automatically switches to 4-wheel drive, thereby modifying its drivability.
When the battery pack is empty, the engine reverts to 500 kW power output and the drivetrain reverts to rear-wheel drive. During races, the battery will be fully charged prior to the start by means of a mains-connected plug-in hybrid charger. Once on the track, the battery will function completely independently and be charged only by the kinetic braking energy recovery system.
