Peugeot’s Landtrek Is a Cheap Chinese Truck For Two Worlds Away

Peugeot has revealed a new pickup called the Landtrek, and while any Americans reading this are already expecting that it won’t be sold here, get ready to stick it our European friends, who also won’t get a chance to buy it. Considering the state of the Continental pickup market, maybe that isn’t surprising. The Mercedes-Benz X-Class, a truck developed on the Nissan Navara platform, only lasted three years before being killed off for poor sales in Europe.

But trucks serve important commercial roles in other global markets. South America, much of Africa, and Australia demand rugged pickups at aggressive price points. The road conditions in those places are unforgiving, and incomes are lower. That’s why the Landtrek was co-developed in partnership with a Chinese company, Changan—and why it’s the second such Chinese co-developed pickup for emerging economies in a few years.

But Peugeot’s continuing relationship with Dongfeng isn’t certain, so the company’s new Landtrek co-development deal went to Changan. Naturally, Changan also gets to sell its own version of the truck, the Kaicheng F70, in its home market. Meanwhile, the Landtrek will be targeted at Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa.

Engine options will be typical for a rest-of-the-world truck and include a 1.9-liter diesel making 150 horsepower mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, or a 2.4-liter turbocharged gas engine making 210 ponies, with an optional six-speed automatic. A 4×4 version is available, but unfortunately it’s not a Dangel job.

Speaking of Dangel, we can’t imagine that the Landtrek will ever reach the iconic status of the Peugeot 504 pickups converted to four-wheel drive by that French aftermarket outfit, but the Landtrek is at least a modern choice in markets where exceptionally obsolete choices are common. The Landtrek will launch by the end of the year.