Peugeot Citroen plotting HiLux ute rival

The parent company of France's Peugeot, Citroen and DS brands, PSA Groupe, has announced an ambitious six-year strategic plan based around 34 new models including 26 passenger cars, eight light commercial vehicles and its first one-tonne ute.

Dubbed 'Push to Pass', the French car-maker's new business plan includes the introduction of seven plug-in hybrid, four all-electric and five new global DS models by 2021, before which it promises to launch “one new car, per region, per brand and per year”.

Crucially for Australia, of the 121 new models PSA plans to launch worldwide over the next six years, 17 will take place in the India Pacific region, where PSA is targeting a 50 per cent increase in sales.

No details of PSA's first one-tonne pick-up have been revealed, however, it's understood it won't be developed from scratch but -- like Renault's upcoming, Nissan Navara-based Alaskan ute – based on an existing pick-up.

While the Navara will also form the basis of Mercedes-Benz's first ute, recent reports from the UK suggested the new French ute, which could wear both Peugeot and Citroen badges, will be based on Toyota's latest HiLux, which has also been linked with Mazda's next-generation BT-50.

PSA, Europe's second biggest car-maker,  already has a platform-sharing arrangement with Toyota, with the Japanese brand's ProAce being based on the Expert and Dispatch.

Announced overnight by PSA Peugeot Citroen chairman Carlos Tavares, the Push to Pass strategy targets a four per cent recurring operating margin between now and 2018, increasing to six per cent by 2021.

That's up from five per cent last year and three times higher than the two per cent profit margin the company targeted as part of its 'Back in the Race' strategy in 2014, following a government bailout, the closure of one factory and a reduction in its model range.

PSA says it will achieve this via "frugal R&D expenditure and rigorous control over production costs as well as fixed costs".

Push to Pass also calls for group revenue growth of 10 per cent by 2018, rising to 15 per cent by 2021, and will also focus on connected and autonomous vehicle technologies, plus leasing, used car sales, mobility services, fleet management and venture capital investments.

PSA's new business plan still doesn't include North America, but aims to triple its sales volume outside Europe, which accounted for 62 per cent of the 2.97 million vehicles it delivered globally last year.

In 2015, the Volkswagen Group – Europe's largest car-maker -- sold 9.9 million vehicles and Renault-Nissan notched up 8.5 million sales.

Tavares said Push to Pass is the first step in the PSA Groupe's vision of being “a great global car-maker with cutting-edge efficiency and the preferred mobility provider worldwide for lifetime customer relationship".

"Based on our financial reconstruction, we will launch a global product and technology offensive," he said.

"Now more agile, we are ready to shift paradigms by anticipating changes in car usage patterns. Our digital transformation will make the PSA Group a company connected to its customers. With 'Push to Pass', we will ensure PSA profitable organic growth."