SPY PHOTOS: Peugeot SUV

French Off the Road

At the 2005 motor show in Tokyo, Mitsubishi launched the new Outlander while the French car maker PSA was developing a new and first 4x4 model based on this new Outlander platform. It is expected to be launched under the Peugeot and Citroën badges and dubbed 7007 and C9 respectively. For this project, PSA has searched and found in Mitsubishi an experienced partner particularly for off road models.

Recently, a group of engineers from Japan and France were sighted testing the two new models side by side in the roaring heat of southern France. The Peugeot 7007 and Citroën C9 are scheduled for launch in 2007. They will be manufactured by Mitsubishi and engines will be supplied by both PSA and Mitsubishi. Talk is of a Mitsubishi fuel engine (2.4 litre 170 bhp) and a PSA Diesel engine (2.0 litre HDI 136 bhp). The Mitsubishi Outlander is already available in Japan and arriving in the United States end of 2006. Plans for the Peugeot 7007 and Citroën C9 are to produce 30,000 units per year and the cars are expected to cost between 20,000 and 30,000 Euros.