Say hello to the new Peugeot double-cab bakkie...

This is the new Peugeot Pick Up...

All 4x4 models will feature this tubular chrome additions.

A more basic 4x2 model will also be available.

Power comes from a 2,5-litre turbodiesel.

No, your eyes don’t deceive you. Peugeot has indeed returned to the bakkie segment with this, the rather unimaginatively named Peugeot Pick Up.

Built (likely in Tunisia, if earlier reports are to be believed) with the African continent in mind, the French automaker says the new double-cab bakkie boasts a "remarkable level of roominess and equipment", adding that it "fulfils the fundamental needs for robustness, endurance and a 4x4 drivetrain in the segment".

The brand says the bakkie is aimed at customers who "desire a work tool that is reliable in every circumstance, easy to use and maintain, which allows for a flexible combination of professional and family activities".

Set to go on sale in initial markets in September (Peugeot SA tells us it could reach our shores, but strangely only in 2021), the Peugeot Pick Up measures 5,08 metres long. Ground clearance varies from 210 to 215 mm, depending on the model.

From what we can glean, the new model is actually based on a Dongfeng pick-up (known in China as the "Rich"; see image below), which itself is based on the D22-generation Nissan NP300. The Chinese automaker, of course, has had significant dealings with the French brand (Dongfeng actually owns Peugeot shares, while the two run a joint venture in China) over the past few years.

The cab and the rear compartment are fixed on a ladder chassis with a rigid rear axle, four-bladed springs and Yokohama rubber as standard. The load-bed measures 1,40 m long and 1,39 m wide. The maximum payload of the vehicle is a claimed 815 kg.

So, what's under the bonnet? Well, the bakkie employs a longitudinally mounted 2,5-litre turbodiesel engine worth 86 kW and 280 N.m, and mated to a manual five-speed gearbox. It will be available in 4x4 and 4x2 versions.

Standard features include manual air-conditioning, electric windows, and a sound system with CD player and USB port. Standard safety equipment, meanwhile, includes ABS, rear parking sensors, as well as passenger and driver airbags.

The image below shows the Peugeot Pick Up on the left and the Dongfeng Rich on the right.

bakkies