french G

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Sun, 14/01/2007 - 21:36
Jeepmadmike
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peugeot_P4

the french have to be different!

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Sun, 14/01/2007 - 22:10
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Quercus
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Re: french G

Interesting! I seem to remember seeing P4 chassis and body panels at Graz back in the 'eighties, so would query whether Peugeot actually manufactured the vehicle. I suspect the CKD bits were sent from Graz and the French merely assembled them utilising, for political reasons, the Peugeot diesel engine and primary gearbox instead of the Mercedes items used in Graz-built machines. They then stuck their badge on it..... But I could be wrong. Jesus is the oracle. Sounds as if I've suddenly got religion, doesn't it?

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Sun, 14/01/2007 - 23:34
#2
mortinson
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Re: french G

Quercus wrote:
Interesting! I seem to remember seeing P4 chassis and body panels at Graz back in the 'eighties, so would query whether Peugeot actually manufactured the vehicle. I suspect the CKD bits were sent from Graz and the French merely assembled them utilising, for political reasons, the Peugeot diesel engine and primary gearbox instead of the Mercedes items used in Graz-built machines. They then stuck their badge on it..... But I could be wrong. Jesus is the oracle. Sounds as if I've suddenly got religion, doesn't it?

You are entirely right and so is Wikipedia:

Quote:
As soon as 1940, the French Army had a requirement to replace its 10 000 Jeeps. The requirement included

Ability to carry four men with radio equipment
Ability to be parachuted and transported by plane
After lots of technical issues, the new vehicle was designed in the 1970s. An agreement was settled between Peugeot and Mercedes to co-produce the vehicle by a proportion of 50% each. Peugeot mounted the engine of the Peugeot 504 and the transmission of the Peugeot 604 on the Mercedes-Benz G-Class ; it also installed the electrical systems, soldered the exterior and painted the car. The rest was done by Mercedes. Peugeot did not have a licence to export the vehicle anywhere else than to the African countries bound to France by defence agreements. The plant in Sochaux did the final assembly. The first prototype was tested in 1978, beginning a long series of tests and trials, notably a rally in South Algeria with a petrol and a diesel P4.

The French Army ordered 15 000 P4s, both petrol and diesel versions, in 1981, order downgraded to 13 500 units with the downsize of the Army. From 1985, production was transferred to Panhard in Marolles-en-Hurepoix, where 6 000 vehicles were produced

A civilian version was made, but encountered little success because of a high price and a poor mass/power ratio.

A claimed 55% in French value added is quoted by a number of sources. I believe that you are right, in that all other parts (chasis, bodywork, axles, transfer case, steering, etc) were made in Graz and shipped to France where final assembly was done

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