The Peugeot P4 is a 4-wheel-drive unarmoured light vehicle used by the Military of France. It is manufactured by Peugeot. It is to be replaced with the PVP by Panhard.
[] Description
The Peugeot P4 is a light, unarmoured, four-wheel-drive vehicle manufactured by Peugeot, and used by the Military of France under the designation of "Véhicule léger tout-terrain" ("Light all-terrain vehicle"). It is based on the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and equipped with Peugeot engine and equipment.
[] History
As soon as 1940, the French Army had a requirement to replace its 10 000 Jeeps. The requirement included
* Ability to carry four men with radio equipment
* Ability to be parachuted and transported by plane
After lots of technical issues, the new vehicle was designed in the 1970s. An agreement was settled between Peugeot and Mercedes to co-produce the vehicle by a proportion of 50% each. Peugeot mounted the engine of the Peugeot 504 and the transmission of the Peugeot 604 on the Mercedes-Benz G-Class ; it also installed the electrical systems, soldered the exterior and painted the car. The rest was done by Mercedes. Peugeot did not have a licence to export the vehicle anywhere else than to the African countries bound to France by defence agreements. The plant in Sochaux did the final assembly. The first prototype was tested in 1978, beginning a long series of tests and trials, notably a rally in South Algeria with a petrol and a diesel P4.
The French Army ordered 15 000 P4s, both petrol and diesel versions, in 1981, order downgraded to 13 500 units with the downsize of the Army. From 1985, production was transferred to Panhard in Marolles-en-Hurepoix, where 6 000 vehicles were produced
A civilian version was made, but encountered little success because of a high price and a poor mass/power ratio.
[] Versions
[] P4D
In 1992, the Army converted the petrol P4 to diesel. Conversion was made by Panhard (1300 VLTT) and the Établissements régionaux du matériel. The engine, Peugeot 2.5L, is the same than the original diesel P4.
[] P4P
The P4 P (P4 Protégé, "protected P4") is an armoured version, built in 80 units in the 90s.
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