Looking at the (evidently photoshoped) image posted above, you would be inclined to believe that Peugeot is marketing some sort of crossover model, which wouldn’t hold true as the car you see here is nothing more than the French firm’s mainstream 301 compact saloon.
Then why go into all that trouble to paste the 301 on a gravel path? Well, the answer to this question is Peugeot wants to convey the message that its new sedan is built tough and can handle the roughest of roads.
“From the start of the project, when the specification for the car was being drawn up, Peugeot’s engineers went out on long driving missions to build up mileage on the different sorts of roads that would be taken by the future 301 customers,” says Peugeot.
“Roads with poor surfaces, hot climates, cold climates, humid climates… all of the possible situations have been tested and sometimes even with a customer at the wheel. In total, many tens of thousands of kilometres have been run in several continents,” the French carmaker added.
So in which regions/countries will the 301 go on sale? Starting from November 1, the new Peugeot model will be available in Turkey and then in Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Greece, the Maghred, the Middle East, the Gulf States and African countries, certain Latin American markets and China.
Depending on the market, the 301 will compete against cars in the likes of the new Skoda Rapid and Seat Toledo twins, as well as its own French sibling, the Citroen C-Elysee.
Available engine options will include a 70hp (71PS) 1.2-liter VTi petrol, a 91hp (92PS) 1.6-liter HDi turbo diesel and a 114hp (115PS) 1.6-liter petrol.
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