The Citroen Dispatch has been
confirmed for Australia, as the French company’s local distributor, Sime Darby
Automotive, looks to clarify its commercial vehicle position. Until recently,
both Citroen and Peugeot – each distributed by Sime Darby – had offered
commercial vehicles as parts of their line-ups. But in 2015 the company
consolidated its range, with only the Citroen Berlingo remaining on sale.
That position has now been confirmed as permanent,
with the local general manager of Peugeot and Citroen, Kai Bruesewitz,
confirming that Peugeot will focus on passenger cars and SUVs,
while Citroen will take on the commercial vehicle side of the business.
He then confirmed that the Berlingo would be joined
by the new-generation Citroen Dispatch, but it is unlikely to join the local
range in 2017. The company isn’t expected to offer the people-mover variant of
the Dispatch locally, however: that model, the Citroen Space Tourer, is
essentially a rival to the likes of the Volkswagen Caravelle/Multivan and
Hyundai iMax.
The Citroen Dispatch – in Europe, at least – is
offered in various body configurations, including a short-wheelbase model (4.60
metres long), mid-wheelbase (4.95) and long-wheelbase version (5.30m). It
offers up to 1400 kilograms of payload capacity, and a load-space volume of up
to 6.6 cubic metres.
The van is offered with a range of diesel engines,
from the low-output 1.6-litre turbo diesel manual, to a 2.0-litre turbo diesel
with a six-speed automatic, the latter with up to 177 Hp of power and 400 Nm of
torque.
It brings with it some clever features, too: it
mimics Renault’s Trafic by offering a long item load-through port below the
passenger seats, but betters all other vans with optional
hands-free side sliding doors.
