Pickup contest hots up
Page 28
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• The battle for the onetonne pickup market has intensified as the two main protagonists, Ford and Peugeot, struggle for the lion's share of booming sales.
The latest round was triggered off in July by the launch of the Ford P100 turbodiesel, which removed the one major advantage offered by the Peugeot 504 the option of a diesel engine.
Ford itself has not only been aggressively promoting its new turbodiesel, but has also introduced a dealer campaign to support the petrol P100 during the diesel's introducion. The offer, which runs until September 30, allows dealers to provide either a discount or a choice of accessories on vehicles built before 31 July.
Peugeot has responded with a similar promotion, giving customers who order a 504 between now and the end of November the choice of any two accessories from three items: a nudge bar, load liner or toolbox.
While Peugeot is only selling roughly the same number of 504s as last year (1,525 up to the end of July), P100 sales have rocketed (up to 5,177 in the same period). Peugeot will therefore be hoping that its offer will help to sustain volume during the autumn.
The other competitors in the one-tonne pickup market are Japanese, and are consequently constrained in their sales by the quota system which limits all Japanese vehicles that are sold in the UK.