The brands Fiat, Peugeot and Ram will begin manufacturing trucks in Argentinaas a result of an investment of 385 million dollars announced by the Stellantis Group for its plant in the province of Córdoba.
Although during the official announcement made in the Mediterranean province the destination that this investment will have is never mentioned, different sources in the sector confirmed to Clarion that the project is destined to manufacture the three pickups in Argentina.
The group today has two production plants in the country: The Palomarprovince of Buenos Aires, where the brand new Peugeot 208 and 2008 are produced, and that of Ferreyrawhere the Fiat Cronos is built. It will be next to this model where the new pickup production line will be located.
Under the names Fiat Titano, Peugeot Landtrek and Ram 1200the three options are going to be manufactured in our country but it does not mean that the three will be sold in the local market. In fact, these three models already exist in different markets and none of them are yet sold in the country.
Currently, the Titano and the Landtrek are assembled in Uruguay, at the Nordex complex of Argentine businessman Manuel Antelo. And they are mainly sold in Brazil and Chile, respectively. The 1200, on the other hand, is produced in China and sold in Mexico.
The idea of Stellantis is take advantage of the export potential that these models haverelying on the conglomerate of suppliers with experience in pickups that has been formed in Argentina.
In Córdoba alone, two trucks are already manufactured today, such as the Nissan Frontier and the Renault Alaskan. To which we must add the Toyota Hilux, the Ford Ranger and the Volkswagen Amarok, which are produced in Greater Buenos Aires. With these new projects, there would be 8 models of one-ton trucks produced by the country.
Fiat Titano, Peugeot Landtrek and Ram 1200
To know the origin of this story of the three Stellantis pickups, you have to go back four years, when Peugeot announced that it was going to sell a truck and that its name was Landtrek.
Although we have to go a little further back, to 2017, when the French brand allied with the Chinese company Changanone of the four giants of the Chinese automotive industry, to develop this truck. In China, Changan sells this model as the Kaicene F70.
The result was a vehicle that did not meet the standards found among medium-sized pickups, that is, a model that, while still being a work tool, can offer the necessary comfort to be considered a “family car.”
When Peugeot began looking for an alliance to have a pickup, it still Stellantis did not existthe group that today shares, among many others, with Ram, the truck that became a brand and that has a long tradition with this type of vehicles.
The sale of the Landtrek was announced for our market. It even had a disembarkation date: second half of 2022, with the truck having already begun its assembly in Uruguay. But the birth of the Stellantis group changed plans and put the arrival of that new pickup on hold.
During that pause, with the mega merger already executed between the FCA groups (Fiat, Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge and Ram) and PSA (Peugeot, Citroën and DS), Fiat began to flirt with the possibility of also having a truck of a ton for the region: the Italian brand is the one that sells the most in the Brazilian market and in Argentina it has the most chosen car of the last three and a half years.
The result was reflected in December of last year, when the Fiat Titano was presented, which was basically a Landtrek but with the emblems of the Italian company. This model debuted in Brazil this year, coming from the Uruguayan complex whose production capacity to supply markets such as Brazil and Argentina was doubted.
Although it was never confirmed for Argentina, it was not ruled out either, so the trend began to grow that a Fiat truck was going to have better results than a Peugeot, which still did not arrive.
In parallel, Ram joined the party and named this model 1200. Its main destination was and is Mexico, where the American brand has a strong presence with a range that includes the traditional 1500 and 2500, but also has the 700 (a Fiat Strada sold as Ram) and recently the 1200.
This new project undertaken by the Stellantis Group, although not officially announced, will convert the three models into nationally produced vehicles to take advantage of the export profile that the Argentine industry currently has and in particular vehicles of this type. What does not seem certain is that all three will be sold in the local market, and, in that sense, it is the Fiat Titano that has the advantage.
How is the Fiat Titano doing?
At the beginning of this year, on the occasion of the launch of the Fiat Titano in the Brazilian market, Clarion He was invited to participate in that presentation event that included a test drive.
Using the base of the Landtrek, Fiat made some adjustments to the suspension to present its truck on Brazilian soil. In general terms, the Titano’s styling is attractive. It is not the largest truck in the category in all size references but it does surpass one or the other to some extent. That is why it looks wide, strong and very well standing.
The Titano is offered in Brazil only with a double cab body. The new vehicle measures 5,330 mm long, 1,963 mm wide, 1,897 mm high (with roof bars) and 3,180 mm between axles.
It weighs 2,150 kilos and has one of the largest load capacities, with 1,020 and a towing capacity of 3,500 kilos. In addition, it has the largest cargo box in the segment (1,630 mm x 1,600 mm).
It comes equipped with a turbodiesel engine (of Peugeot origin) 2.2 liters, with 180 horsepower and up to 400 Nm of torque. It can come with an automatic or manual transmission, both with 6 speeds. All are also 4×4, with a plug-in system with transfer case and rear differential lock.
In the neighboring country it is offered in three equipment levels: Endurance (which can be manual or automatic), Volcano and Ranch (there are two, only with automatic transmission). Clarion tried the intermediate version of the range.
On an asphalt strip in relatively good condition, a fine-tuning of the suspensions designed for harsh punishmentsince it turned out to be a little bouncy. It is true that there was no charge in the box, something that would have reduced this effect, but in any case it showed a more marked reaction than its competitors.
Contrary to the prejudices that may have been previously held, as it has a less powerful engine than the most powerful versions of its rivals, the Titano’s engine responds with energy when you look for it. On the road, for example, it is more than enough to safely overtake. The box meets every requirement.
Off the asphalt is where he left us with the best sensations. Passing through broken roads or with a lot of fine sand did not attack the trust that this truck delivers. So much so that during the tour, they suggested on several occasions to do it with the 4×4 connected. However, the unit that managed Clarion It was all the time in 4×2 and without any major surprises.
Inside, it is inevitable to compare it with the Landtrek, mainly because it has not had any major changes: even the style of the button panel on the center console is the one used by the French brand in several of its models.
The materials used in the dashboard and doors They are all rigid and with a quality that can improve. Something similar happens with some finishes and inserts, which show details to evolve.
The driving position of the Titano is very good, thanks to the height and depth adjustment of the steering and a wide range of movement of the seat. This is accompanied by a driver-oriented center console, which defines a more car-like stance.
The space in the rear seats is average for the category but with a small advantage in width. The lack of more storage places for objects is felt, especially in the center console.
