Toyota, PSA Extend Partnership with New European Van

Now they've announced the extension of that collaboration, and revealed the first image and details of their new product.

Set to be unveiled at their respective booths at the Geneva Motor Show this coming March are the new Toyota ProAce, Peugeot Traveller, and Citroën Spacetourer. They replace the Toyota model of the same name as well as the outgoing Peugeot Expert and Citroën Dispatch, and will each be made available in private and commercial shuttle forms. Although technical specifications have yet to be announced, each will share the same underpinnings and mechanical components, leaving only the parts you can see changing from one brand's version to the next. Expect engines to range from 1.5 to 2.0 liters and burning gasoline or diesel, but the latter will undoubtedly prove the more popular option in Europe.

No mention was made of a replacement for the Fiat Scudo, another badge-engineered version of the same van program in its current form. That would seem to suggest that Fiat Professional is either preparing to go it alone with the next-generation Scudo, or phase out the model altogether. The current Scudo slots in between the smaller Doblo (imported to the US as the Ram ProMaster City) and the larger Ducato which was also jointly developed with PSA and sold as the Citroën Jumper/Relay, Peugeot Boxer, and in America as the Ram ProMaster.

The ProAce and its cousins are made by PSA at its Sevel plant in Valenciennes, France. Aside from their vans, the Japanese and French automakers also collaborate on the city car platform sold alternately as the Toyota Aygo, Peugeot 108, and Citroën C1. Fiat also partners with PSA on the smaller Fiat Fiorino/Qubo, Peugeot Bipper and Citroën Nemo. All of which just goes to show what a tangled web they weave in the European market, especially where commercial vehicles are concerned.