| TOTAL ECONOMY RUN
First thanks to the little thirst Peugeot 107, 5 Door
hatchback.
The bad news: Petrol goes up on Wednesday 1 August 2012.
The good news:Peugeot’s 107
city slicker, obtainable in the Urban and Trendy versions,is the
most fuel-efficient petrol-engined car in South Africa. Recorded an
overall consumption of just 5.063 litres/100km on the 2012 Total
Economy Run.
The Peugeot’s 107 1
litre, three cylinder hatchback (available in the saw off the
opposition in a gruelling 1105 km test of a car’s economy, with
Radio Tygerberg presenter Jeannette Kok-Kritzinger and navigator
Riëtte Wannenburg tackling the Mpumalanga roads with aplomb. A
number of hybrids could not match the cheeky 107 Pug. Only a trio of
small engined turbodiesels narrowly bettered its figures.
“This year’s event was run in the White River area and while it is
very beautiful the mountain passes made it very tricky and
technical,” said Kok-Kritzinger, who was perfectly at home on the
route thanks to her motorsport experience. “On the uphills we had to
preserve fuel by driving steadily and do everything we could to
maintain momentum but on the downhills “Daisy”, as we christened our
Peugeot’s 107,
was more than capable of handling the turns and corners as we worked
hard to make up time.”
“The results of the 107 proved that modern small engines are
very efficient and clean-burning, even on the open road. The latest
engine technology combined with an aerodynamic shape and low mass
design all adds up to a car with a miserly appetite,” commented
Francis Harnie, Managing Director of Peugeot South Africa.
“Well done to Jeannette and Riëtte who have also written the Peugeot’s 107
into the record books. They were the first all female team to win a
category overall in the 36-year history of the event.”
But efficiency goes deeper than just bald numbers and when you
factor in that the 2012 Peugeot 107 has an unrivalled five-year /
100 000 km full maintenance plan versus the service plans offered by
its oil-burning rivals (some of which cost more than double the
price of the 107 crewed by Kok-Kritzinger and Wannenburg), and it
becomes obvious which car was the real winner of the Total Economy
Run.
Congratulations to both the ladies and the 107. |
10 YEARS OF PEUGEOT IN SA
Pure commitment, emotive allure
•A decade of success set scence for an exciting new future
•SA set to play pivotal role in globalisation of Peugeot
brand
•Diversified and almost entirely new product range
•Close
focus on customer service, parts supply and growing dealer network
•Full
maintenance plan new, key element of customer offering
Peugeot has a lot
to be excited about in 2012. The year marks a decade since the brand
officially returned to the South African market as a fully-fledged
subsidiary of the French vehicle manufacturer.
However, 2012 also heralds a significant turning point for the
company as it focuses on expanding its model line-up with several
important new additions.
In addition, Peugeot announced
a major commitment to the SA market. A five-year full maintenance
plan as standard across the entire Peugeot passenger car vehicle
range was added. Please Note, these are full maintenance plans, not
service plans. “It’s a genuinely exciting time for Peugeot South
Africa,” says PSA managing director, Francis Harnie. “The
introduction of a five-year full-maintenance plan across our model
range is a major development that confirms Peugeot’s commitment to
the local market, while adding further, substantial value to the
ownership experience of our products.
At the same time, the local operation is set to increase its
volume and presence in SA as part of Peugeot’s drive towards the
globalisation of the brand.
In order to drive this process, the company is expanding its
dealer network from 24 dealers currently, to a total of 31 by the
end of 2012, which is a far cry from only six original dealers a
decade ago.
“The expanded Peugeot Dealer
network is essential to ensure a representative and accessible
national footprint that is able fulfil the requirements of our most
compelling and competitive model range to date,” Harnie points out.
The passenger car models are complemented by an outstanding range of
light commercial vehicles, comprising the Partner, Expert
and Boxer, which are
renowned for their versatility, comfort and safety and efficiency.
With the direct involvement of the Peugeot head office in
France, the company has already invested extensively in parts supply
and warehousing. It commissioned a R100-million 8 000 m2 parts
distribution and storage facility in 2008.
This facility not only tripled the size of Peugeot’s parts
capacity, but allowed for dramatic improvements in the parts supply
rate (with a first-time pick ratio of over 92-percent), while
competitive parts pricing – as confirmed by the annual Kinsley
report – has reinforced the attractive total cost of ownership
proposition.
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