Peugeot plants in Nigeria and Kenya will finally stop assembling the 504 model
this year.
The French automaker says that research shows that African buyers want current
models and there is now insufficient demand for production of CKD assembly kits
to remain viable.
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Widely accepted, along with the older 404, as the car that put much of Africa
on wheels, the 504 has now been in production for three decades.
Once assembled as far from France as Australia and New Zealand, it went out
of production in France in the 1980s but assembly continued in developing markets
such as South America and Africa. South American production was phased out two
years ago.
The 504 has remained popular for so long because its durable construction and
long-travel suspension made it ideal for potholed, largely unmade African roads.
The pushrod engines, especially the diesel, can rack up high mileages with minimal
maintenance and, when they do break down, are easily fixed with basic tools.
Replaceable cylinder liners make more comprehensive overhauls easy.
Popular in its final African production days with taxi, police and civil service
buyers, the 504 is likely to remain on the continent’s roads for years
to come. Old examples from South Africa are now restored in Zimbabwe and well-preserved
cars are also shipped in from Australia and New Zealand for resale.
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