Takashi Nishioka, chairman of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and Jean-Martin Folz, CEO of PSA Peugeot Citroën, on Monday signed the final cooperation agreement between their two companies for the development and production of three new SUV model lines – one for each brand.
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The agreement plans the annual production in Japan of 30,000 units for PSA Peugeot Citroën, based on a Mitsubishi Motors’ platform currently under development.
In a statement, PSA said the new SUVs, to be launched in Europe in 2007, would be “well equipped with top-of-the-line comfort, handling and safety features”.
The Peugeot and Citroën models will be powered by Mitsubishi’s newly developed petrol engines with aluminium cylinder block and PSA’s own HDi diesel engines equipped with particulate filters.
“These fuel-efficient, low emissions diesels will deliver remarkable environmental performance,” the statement claimed.
In Japan, the Mitsubishi-branded models will be launched in autumn this year. In Europe, models for the three brands (Peugeot, Citroën and European derivatives for Mitsubishi) will be unveiled at the 2007 Geneva motor show.
Specifically styled for both Peugeot and Citroën, the new SUVs will broaden the French automakers’ product ranges and will enable the two brands to reach new customers by entering an expanding market segment. This project will target customers in European markets where European-style vehicles are popular.
Just-auto expects the three automakers’ models will be about as different from each other as the jointly developed Toyota Aygo, Peugeot 107 and Citroen C1 city cars now being produced at a new plant in the Czech Republic.
Mitsubishi Motors expects that the additional SUV volume built for PSA Peugeot Citroën will enable it to raise capacity utilisation and improve productivity. MMC also expects the agreement will help its efforts to reach targets set out in the current ‘Mitsubishi Motors Revitalization Plan’.
