News 2008  : Johannesburg International Motor Show

02 10 2008Johannesburg International Motor Show

Welcome to our stand, but Please Don’t Feed the Lions

Peugeot Motors South Africa’s stand at the Johannesburg International Motor Show will be unique thanks to features such as indigenous trees and a pride of lions – both perfectly in keeping with the brand’s show theme of being acutely aware of the environmental impact of the motor car. While the trees will be very real, the lions won’t. Instead, they’ll be the far less fearsome but nonetheless instantly-recognisable heraldic lion badge which has been proudly displayed on every Peugeot vehicle since 1927.

The mane – er, main attraction - of Peugeot’s stand in Hall Five at Nasrec from November 1 to 9 will undoubtedly be the dramatic 908 HDi Sports Prototype racer, the car which this year dominated the front row of the grid for the famous Le Mans 24-hour race. Powered by a massive 5.5-litre twin turbo V12, this diesel-powered wonder is proof that fast can also be clean and the race version and exhaust emissions are minimised thanks to diesel particulate filters. Much of the technology being pioneered on the 908 is filtering down to production models, helping to make Peugeot a world leader in green diesels.

On a more prosaic level, the stand will also feature a Total-sponsored Peugeot 308 HDi which will have – hopefully – just completed the trans-SA Coast2Coast Challenge, driving from Port Nolloth in the West to Durban in the East on one tank of diesel. If it completes the 1 760 km journey without refuelling it will have averaged just 3.4 litres per 100 kilometres. The car will be crewed by rally personalities Spotti Woodhead and Andrew Carter, while Total Economy Run organiser Jan Hettema will audit the run.

A key aspect of the Peugeot stand will be an opportunity for visitors to interact with the exhibits. “The Make Your Mark concept will give visitors to our stand the opportunity to change the world they live in,” explains Mike Wilson, General Manager – Marketing of Peugeot Motors South Africa. “They’ll be able to physically write their missive – ideally with an environmental or earth-friendly theme - on a Peugeot coated with a special film, and from these ideas we’ll choose the 10 best. The public will be able to vote for these on-line and PMSA will then implement the winning idea.” And the initiator of the idea will win a trip to the 2009 Le Mans endurance race in France.   

The Peugeot Xbox Arcade (comprising four of the gaming consoles complete with racing seats) will also have a competitive element and drivers will vie for the fastest lap of the Le Mans circuit – at the wheel of a Peugeot 908 of course – with an Xbox console up for grabs for the fastest driver. So the Peugeot stand is going to be the perfect stopover at the JIMS: if dad can come up with a planet-saving idea and lad can outpace
the other youngsters around a virtual racetrack, it’ll be mission accomplished.       

And the significance of the trees? Trees turn carbon dioxide into oxygen at night, and to offset the impact of the CO2 generated by the Woodhead/Carter 308 HDi on the Coast to Coast run, in a joint venture with Trees4Africa PMSA will be planting the equivalent number of trees in Orange Farm, Southern Gauteng – a disadvantaged community in which PMSA has invested heavily.