Autoblog

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We've covered the adventures in rebadging undertaken by PSA Peugeot Citroen with the forthcoming Mitsubishi Outlander clones, the Peugeot 4007 and Citroën C-Crosser. The 4007 is homely-looking, but the Citroën's visual transformation fares much better. In the UK, it appears to have connected with Citroën dealers, who have bought up the full 2007 allotment of the cars.

If car buyers show the same level of confidence in the French-branded SUVs as the dealers have shown in stocking up on them, it could pave the way for more interesting vehicles out of the Franco-Japanese joint venture. Industry resource Just-Auto reports that one possibility could be a Peugeot/Citroën-branded "lifestyle pick-up" based on the Mitsubishi L200, which has seen some success in the UK market already. The idea would be to leverage Mitsubishi's 4WD expertise to offer something very different from PSA's traditional passenger vehicle lineup. The C-Crosser and 4007 are the automaker's first SUVs.

[Source: Just-Auto - sub. req'd]

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We brought you the Citroën version earlier, and aside from the new face, this ride's essentially identical. Say hello to the Peugeot 4007, which will make its debut in Geneva with its sibling, the Citroën C-Crosser. Like we said, the two are interchangeable, so that means each gets everything their source vehicle, the Mitsubishi Outlander, offers. Like the Citroën, the new Pug is powered by a 2.2L HDi diesel putting forth 160 hp (156 hp EEC).

Unlike the Citroen, the Peugeot is saddled with a face only a mother could love. The giant mouthlike grille with its pronounced vertical elements looks like it'd be more appropriate on a plankton-slurping baleen whale than an SUV. Also, note the added grillework behind the little hood-mounted lion badge. Suffice to say that we're generally unmoved by the styling up front. You can check it (and the rest of the car) out in detail via the attached gallery.

An interesting aside on the name: The "00" names are reserved for Peugeot vehicles that are different and/or original, and outside the standard model range. The only other Peugeot that falls into this category is the nifty, sliding-doored 1007 city car.

[Source: Peugeot]

Related items:

• Attack of the Clones: New Citroën C-Crosser photos, info

Click photo for gallery of the UK Outlander, the Citroen C-Crosser, and Peugeot 4007

In an unexpected bit of quid pro quo, PSA will supply Mitsubishi with a 154-horsepower 2.2L turbodiesel engine that the Japanese automaker will offer in the Outlander SUV when it goes on sale in Europe. That will allow Mitsu to offer a pair of diesels in their Euro-Outlander, as they already had a deal in place to sell it with 138-hp VW-supplied 2.0L diesels. This is good for Mitsubishi because now it gets to offer a diesel engine range, which is always helpful on the continent. Naturally, a traditional gasoline engine will also be offered.

PSA's happy, too, because their existing partnership with Mitsubishi netted them the badge-engineered Peugeot 4007 and Citroën C-Crosser. Truth be told, we're totally curious to see whether or not the sharp-looking Mitsu outsells its Francophone doppelgangers. We know we'd take the Mitsu every time, but there's no accounting for the tastes of our friends overseas. Seriously, how else do you explain the horrifying 4007?

You can read the Mitsubishi/PSA joint press release after the jump. For reference, we've also included the PR on the UK-spec Outlander, which will be available with both diesels discussed above. Check out our gallery for high-res shots of the UK Outlander as well as its Peugeot 4007 and Citroën C-Crosser cousins.



[Source: Just-Auto (sub-req'd)]