Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of
PSA Peugeot Citroën. It is the second largest automaker in Europe, behind
Volkswagen. Peugeot's roots go back to bicycle manufacturing
at the end of the 19th century. Its headquarters are in Paris, Avenue de la Grande
Armée, close to Porte Maillot and the Concorde Lafayette Hotel.
Company history
Early history
Peugeot Type 127 Torpedo 1910
Although the Peugeot factory had been in the manufacturing business since the 1700s,[1] their entry into the world of wheeled vehicles was by means of crinoline dresses, which used steel rods, leading to umbrella frames, wire
wheels, and ultimately bicycles.[2] Armand Peugeot introduced the Peugeot "Le
Grand Bi" penny-farthing in 1882 and a range of bicycles. Peugeot bicycles have been
built until very recently, although the car company and bike company parted ways in 1926.
Armand Peugeot became very interested in the automobile early on, and after meeting with Gottlieb Daimler and others was convinced of its viability. The first Peugeot automobile (a
three-wheeled steam-powered car designed by Léon Serpollet) was produced in 1889; only
four were made.[3] Steam power was heavy and bulky and
required lengthy warmup running. In 1890, after meeting Gottlieb Daimler and
Emile Levassor, steam was abandoned in favour of a four-wheeler, with a petrol-fuelled
internal combustion engine built by Panhard
under Daimler licence. It was more sophisticated than many of its contemporaries, with three-point suspension and sliding-gear
transmission.[4]
Further cars followed, twenty-nine being built in 1892. These early models were given Type numbers with the Type 12,
for example, dating from 1895. Peugeot became the first manufacturer to fit rubber tires to a
petrol-powered car that year (solid tires).[citation needed] Peugeot was also an early pioneer in motor
racing, entering the 1894 Paris-Rouen Rally with five cars[5] (placing second, third {Pierre Giffard, who had conceived the trial}, and fifth
{Koechlin}),[6] the 1895 Paris-Bordeaux with three, where
they were beaten by Panhards.[7] This also marked the debut of Michelin pneumatic tyres.[8] The vehicles were still
very much horseless carriages in appearance and were steered by tiller.
1896 saw the first Peugeot engines built; no longer were they reliant on Daimler. Designed by Rigoulot, this 8hp (6kW)
horizontal twin and fitted to the back of the Type 15.[9] It also served as the basis of a nearly exact copy produced by Rochet-Schneider.[10] Further improvements followed: the engine moved to the front on the Type 48 and was soon
under a hood (bonnet) at the front of the car,
instead of hidden underneath; the steering wheel was adopted on the Type 36; and they began to look more like the modern
car.
In 1896 Armand Peugeot broke away from Les Fils de Peugeot Frères to form his own company, Société Anonyme des Automobiles
Peugeot, building a new factory at Audincourt to focus entirely on
cars.[11] In 1899, sales hit 300; all of France only saw
1200 cars sold.[12] That year, Lemaitre won the
Nice-Castellane-Nice Rally in a special 5850cc (357ci) 20hp (15kW) racer.[13]
At the 1901 Paris Salon, Peugeot debuted a tiny shaft-drive 652cc (40ci) 5hp (3.7kW) one-cylinder, dubbed Bébé
(Baby), and shed its conservative image, becoming a styling leader.[14] After placing nineteenth in the 1902 Paris-Vienna rally with a 50hp (37kW) 11322cc (691ci) racer,
and failing to finish with two similar cars, Peugeot quit racing. [15]
Peugeot added a motorcycle to its range in 1903, and motorcycles have been built under the
Peugeot name ever since. By 1903, Peugeot produced half of the cars built in France, and they offered the 5hp Bébé, a 6½hp
(5kW) four-seater, and an 8hp (6kW) and 12hp (9kW) resembling contemporary Mercedes.[16]
The 1907 Salon showed Peugeot's first six-cylinder, and showed Tony Huber joining as
engine builder.[17] By 1910, Peugeot's product line included a 1149cc (ci) two-cylinder and six four-cylinders, of between 2 litres and 6
liters. In addition, a new factory opened the same year at Sochaux, which became the main plant
in 1928.[18]
A much more famous name, Ettore Bugatti, designed the lovely new 850cc four-cylinder
Bébé of 1912.[19] The same year, Peugeot returned
to racing with a team of three driver-engineers (a breed typical of the pioneer period, exemplifed by Enzo Ferrari among others): Jules Goux (graduate of Artes et
Metiers, Paris), Paolo Zuccarelli (formerly of Hispano-Suiza), and Georges Boillot (collectively called Les
Charlatans), with 26 year old Swiss engineer Ernest Henry to make their ideas reality.
The company decided voiturette (light car) racing was not enough, and chose to essay grandes épreuves (grand
touring). They did so with an engineering tour de force: a DOHC 7.6 liter four
cylinder (110x200mm) with four valves per cylinder.[20] It proved supremely fast, and Boillot won the 1912 French Grand Prix at a creditable average of
68.45mph (110.15kph), despite losing third gear and suffering a twenty minute pit stop.[21] In May 1913, Goux took one to Indianapolis, and won at an average of 75.92mph (122.17kph), recording straigtaway speeds of 93.5mph
(150.5kph).[22] For 1914, Boillot's 3 liter L5 set a new
Indy lap record of 99.5mph (160.1kph), and Duray placed second (beaten by ex-Peugeot ace Réné
Thomas in a 6235cc {380ci} Delage).[23] Another (driven by Boillot's brother, André) placed in 1915;
like models won in 1916 (Dario Resta) and 1919 (Howdy
Wilcox).
For the 1913 French Grand Prix, an improved L5 (with 5655cc {345ci} engine) was
produced, pioneering ballbearing crankshaft, gear-driven camshafts, and dry sump lubrication, which all soon became standard on racing cars;
unfortunately, Zuccarelli was killed in testing on public roads,[24] but Boillot easily won the event, making him (and Peugeot) its first double winner.[25][26] For the 1914 French GP, Peugeot was overmatched by Mercedes, and despite a new innovation, four-wheel brakes (against the Benz's rear-only),
Georges proved unable to match them and the car broke.[27] (Astoundingly, a 1914 model turned a 103mph (165kph) lap in practise at Indy in 1949; it failed to
qualify.[28]) Peugeot was more fortunate in 1915, taking
wins at the French GP and Vanderbilt Cup.[29]
During the First World War, Peugeot turned largely to arms production, becoming a major
manufacturer of arms and military vehicles, from bicycles to tanks and shells.
Inter war years
Postwar, car production resumed in earnest.
Racing continued, also, with Boillot entering the 1919 Targa Florio in a 2.5 liter
(150ci) car designed for an event pre-empted by World War One; it had an incredible 200000km (124000mi) on it, yet Boillot took a
win, in spectacular drive (the best of his career)[30]
Peugeots in his hands were third in the 1925 Targa, first in the 1922 and 1925 Coppa
Florios, first in the 1923 and 1925 Touring Car Grands Prix, and first at the 1926 24 Heures du
Spa.[31] Peugeot introduced a five valve
per cylinder, triple overhead cam engine for Grand Prix, conceived by Marcel Gremillon
(who had criticised the early DOHC); it was a failure.[32]
The same year, Peugeot debuted 10hp (7.5kW) and 14hp (kW) fours, the larger based on the Type 153, and a 6 liter 25hp
sleeve valve six, as well as a new cyclecar, La
Quadrilette.[33]
During the '20s, Peugeot expanded, in 1926 splitting the cycle (pedal and motor) business off to form Cycles Peugeot,
the consistently profitable cycle division seeking to free itself from the rather more boom-and-bust auto business, and taking
over the defunct Bellanger and De Dion companies in
1927.[34] 1928 saw the introduction of the Type
183.
New for 1929 was the Type 201, cheapest car on the French market,[35] and the first to use the later Peugeot trademark (and registered as such) - three digits with a
central zero. The 201 would get independent front suspension in 1931,[36] the first mass-produced car with it.[citation needed] Soon afterwards the Depression hit: Peugeot sales decreased, but the
company survived. In 1933, attempting a revival of fortune, the company unveiled a new, aerodynamically styled range. In the
following year, a car with a folding, retractable hardtop was introduced, an idea re-iterated by the Ford Skyliner in the 1950s and, revived by the Mercedes
SLK in the mid-1990s. More recently, other manufacturers have taken to the idea of a retractable hard-top including
Peugeot itself with the 206 cc.
Three interesting models of the thirties were the Type 202, Type 302 and Type 402. These cars had
curvaceous bodies, with headlights behind sloping grille bars, evidently inspired by the Chrysler Airflow.[37] The 2.1
liter[38] 402 entered production in 1935 and was produced
until the end of 1941, despite France's occupation by the Nazis. For 1936, there was the new Airflow-inspired 302 (which ran
until 1938) and a 402-based monstrosity, designed by Andrean, which featured a vertical fin and bumper, with the first
high-mounted taillight.[39] The entry-level 202 was built
in series from 1938-1942, and about 20 more examples were built from existing stocks of supplies in February 1945. It lifted
Peugeot sales in 1939 to 52796, just behind Citroën.[40] Regular production began again in mid-1946, and lasted into 1949.
Post war
In 1946,[41] the company restarted in the car
business, with the 202, delivering 14000 copies.[42] In
1947, they introduced the Type 203, with coil springs, rack-and-pinion steering, and hydraulic brakes.[43] The 203 set new Peugeot sales records, remaining in production until
1960.[44]
Peugeot would take over Chenard-Walcker and buy a part of Hotchkiss in 1950,[45]
then introduce a popular model in 1955, the Type 403. With a 1.5 liter engine, it sold a million copies by end of
production in 1962.[46]
The company began selling cars in the United States in 1958, and in 1960, introduced the Type 404, which used a 1618cc
(99ci) version of the 403 engine, tilted 45o, and proved rugged enough to compete in the East African Safari Rally.
More models followed, many elegantly styled by Pininfarina. Like many European
manufacturers, collaboration with other firms increased: Peugeot worked with Renault from 1966
and Volvo from 1972.
Take over of Citroën and formation of PSA
In 1974 Peugeot bought a 30% share of Citroën, and took it over completely in 1975 after the
French government gave large sums of money to the new company. Citroën was in financial trouble because it developed too many radical new models for its financial resources. Some of them, notably the Citroën SM and the Comotor rotary
engine venture proved unprofitable. Others, the Citroën CX and Citroën GS for example, proved very successful in the marketplace.
The joint parent company became the PSA (Peugeot Société Anonyme) group, which aimed to keep separate identities for both Peugeot and Citroën brands, while sharing engineering and technical resources. Peugeot thus briefly controlled the valuable
racing brand name Maserati, but disposed of it in May 1975 out of short term financial concerns.
Both Citroën enthusiasts and automotive journalists
point out that the company's legendary innovation and flair took a marked downturn with the
acquisition. The Citroën brand has continued to be successful in terms of sales, and now achieves over a million units
annually.
Take over of Chrysler Europe
The group then took over the European division of Chrysler (which were formerly Rootes and Simca),
in 1978 as the American auto manufacturer struggled to survive. Further investment was required because PSA decided to create a new brand for the entity, based of the Talbot sports car last seen in the 1950s. From then on, the whole Chrysler/Simca range was sold under the
Talbot badge until production of Talbot branded passenger cars was shelved in 1986.
The flagship of this short-lived brand was the Tagora, a direct competitor for PSA's
604 and CX models. This was a large, angular
saloon based on Peugeot 505 mechanicals.
All this investment caused serious financial problems for the entire PSA group: PSA lost money from 1980 to 1985. The Peugeot
takeover of Chrysler Europe had seen the aging Chrysler Sunbeam, Horizon, Avenger and Alpine ranges rebadged as Talbots. There were also new Talbots in the early 1980s - the Solara (a saloon version of the Alpine hatchback), the Samba (a small hatchback to replace the Sunbeam).
1983 saw the launch of the popular and successful Peugeot 205, which is largely
credited for turning the company's fortunes around.
1984 saw the first PSA contacts with The People's Republic of China,
resulting in the successful Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën Automobile
venture in Wuhan.
In 1986, the company dropped the Talbot brand for passenger cars when it ceased production of the Simca-based
Horizon/Alpine/Solara models. What was to be called the Talbot Arizona became the 309, with the former Rootes plant in Ryton and Simca plant in
Poissy being turned over for Peugeot assembly. The former was significant, as it signalled the
very first time Peugeots would be built in Britain. The Talbot name survived for a little longer on commercial vehicles until
1992 before being shelved completely.
As experienced by other European volume car makers, US sales faltered and finally became uneconomic, as the
Peugeot 505 design aged. The newly introduced Peugeot 405 proved uncompetitive with models from Japan, and sold less
than 1,000 units. Total sales fell to 4,261 units in 1990 and 2,240 through July, 1991. This caused the company to cease US
operations after 33 years.
Beginning in the late 1990s, with Jean-Martin Folz as president of PSA, the
Peugeot-Citroën combination seems to have found a better balance. Savings in costs are no longer made to the detriment of
style.
On April 18, 2006, PSA Peugeot Citroën announced the closure
of the Ryton manufacturing facility in Coventry, England. This announcement resulted
in the loss of 2,300 jobs as well as about 5,000 jobs in the supply chain. The plant produced its last Peugeot 206 on December 12 2006 and
finally closed down in January 2007.
Peugeot is developing a diesel-electric hybrid version of the Peugeot 307 that can
do 80 mpg. It is a 2-door cabriolet and is currently only in the concept stages, but it promises to be one of the most fuel
efficient cars in the world if it ever reaches production.
Motorsports
Peugeot were involved in motorsport from the earliest days and entered five cars for the
Paris-Rouen Trials in 1894 with one of them, driven by Lemaitre, finishing second. These trials are usually regarded as the first
motor sporting competition. Participation in a variety of events continued until World War
I. But it was in 1912 that Peugeot made its most notable contribution to motor sporting history when one of their cars,
driven by Georges Boillot, won the French Grand
Prix at Dieppe. This revolutionary car was powered by a Straight-4 engine designed by
Ernest Henry under the guidance of the technically knowledgeable racing drivers Paul
Zuccarelli and Georges Boillot. The design was very influential for racing
engines as it featured for the first time DOHC and 4 valves per cylinder providing for
high engine speeds, a radical departure from previous racing engines which relied on huge displacement for power. In 1913
Peugeots of similar design to the 1912 Grand Prix car won the French Grand Prix at
Amiens and the Indianapolis 500. When one of the Peugeot racers remained in the United
States during World War I and parts could not be acquired from France for the 1914 season,
owner Bob Burma had it serviced in the shop of Harry
Arminius Miller by a young mechanic named Fred Offenhauser. Their familiarity
with the Peugeot engine was the basis of the famed Miller racing engine, which later developed
into the Offenhauser, or "Offy" racing engine.
The company has had much success in international rallying, notably with the durable
Peugeot 504, the highly developed four-wheel-drive turbo-charged versions of the
Peugeot 205, and more recently the Peugeot 206. The 206
rally car had a dramatic impact on the world rally championship, beating the Subaru Impreza, Ford Focus and Mitsubishi Lancer,
cars which had traditionally dominated the sport. The 206 was retired practically unbeaten after several successful years, and
replaced with the comparatively disappointing Peugeot 307 cc.
Throughout the mid-1990s, the Peugeot 406 saloon (called a
sedan in some countries) contested touring car championships
across the world, enjoying dominant success in France, Germany and Australia, yet failing to win a single race in the
highly-regarded British Touring Car Championship despite a number of excellent podium finishes under the command of touring car
legend Tim Harvey.
The British cars were prepared by Prodrive in 1996, when they sported a red livery, and by MSD in 1997-1998, when they wore a
distinctive green and gold flame design. Initially the 406's lack of success was blamed on suspension problems, but it is now
clear that the team was underfunded and the engine lacked power.
In 2001, Peugeot entered three 406 coupes into the British touring car championship to compete with the dominant Vauxhall
Astra coupes. Unfortunately the 406 coupe was at the end of its product life-cycle and was not competitive, despite some flashes
of form towards the end of the year, notably when Peugeot's Steve Soper led a race only to suffer engine failure in the last few
laps. The 406 coupes were retired at the end of the year and replaced with the Peugeot 307 -
again, uncompetitively - in 2002.
Peugeot won the Manufacturers title of the World Rally Championship in 1985
and 1986 with its 205 T16 They won the manufacturers championship again in 2000, 2001 and 2002 with the 206. Peugeot won the
grueling Paris Dakar Rally each year from 1987 to 1990.
In the 1990s the company competed in the Le Mans 24 Hours race, winning in 1992
and 1993 with the 905. It will be back in 2007, with the 908 powered by a diesel engine. Peugeot are also involved with the Courage C60 Le Mans racing team.
The company has also been involved in providing engines to Formula One teams, notably McLaren in 1994, Jordan for the 1995, 1996 and 1997 seasons, and Prost for the 1998, 1999 and 2000 seasons. Peugeot's F1 interests were sold to Asiatech at
the end of the 2000 season.
Peugeot model numbers
Peugeot chooses the names used on its models in the form x0y or x00y, where x describes the size of the
car (and hence its class) and y describes the model number (the higher the number, the newer the model). Thus a Peugeot
406 is bigger and newer than a Peugeot 305. This rule has its exceptions: for instance the Peugeot 309 was produced before
the Peugeot 306 - the out-of-step number signified the 309's Talbot underpinnings rather than it coming from a Peugeot lineage.
Variants are also excluded: the 206 SW, for example, is about the same length as a "40y" car.
This tradition began in 1929 with the launch of the 201, which followed the 190. All numbers from 101 to 909 have been
deposited as trademarks. Although in 1963 Porsche was forced
to change the name of its new 901 coupé to 911, certain Ferraris and Bristols have been allowed to keep their Peugeot-style model
numbers. An unsubstantiated explanation for the central '0' is that on early models the number appeared on a plate on the front
of the car, with the hole for the starting handle coinciding with the zero. More recently, on the 307 cc and the 607 the
button to open the trunk is located in the '0' of the label.
For specific niche models such as minivans or SUVs, Peugeot is now using a four digit system, with a double zero in the
middle. It was tested with the 4002 concept car. The
1007 used this system when it was launched in 2005, and the upcoming Peugeot Crossover SUV
is named 4007.
Peugeot has also announced that after the 9 series, it would start again with 1, producing new 201, 301 or 401.
Peugeot has produced three winners of the European Car of the Year
award.
- 1969: Peugeot 504
- 1988: Peugeot 405
- 2002: Peugeot 307
Other Peugeot models have come either second or third in the contest.
- 1980: Peugeot 505
- 1984: Peugeot 205
- 1996: Peugeot 406
- 1999: Peugeot 206
Other products
Peugeot also makes power tools, knives, pepper, and salt grinders.
Peugeot also produced bicycles starting in 1882 in Beaulieu, France (with ten Tour de France wins between 1903 and 1983)
followed by motorcycles and cars in 1889. In the late 1980s Peugeot sold the North American rights to the Peugeot bicycle name to
ProCycle in Canada (also known as CCM and better known for its ice hockey equipment) and the European rights to Cycleurope S.A.
Peugeot remains a major producer of scooters and mopeds in Europe.
Pronunciation
The common French pronunciation of "Peugeot" is pø:'ʒo (using the IPA). In the South of England, it is usually pronounced
"PERzho" (IPA 'pɜːʒəʊ), while Americans and other English-speakers pronounce it "pooZHO" (IPA puː'ʒoʊ) or "PYOOzho" ('pjuːʒoʊ).
Peugeot and Peugeot cars have also gained the nicknames of 'pug' and 'pugs' in the UK. In Malta some people pronounce "Peugeot"
as PUGU.
Vehicle models
Numbers
- 104, 106, 107
- 201, 202, 203,
204, 205, 206,
207
- 301, 302, 304,
305, 306, 307,
308, 309
- 401, 402, 403,
404, 405, 406,
407
- 504, 505
- 601, 604, 605,
607, 608
- 802, 806, 807
- 905, 907, 908
- 1007
- 4007
Concept cars
- 607 Feline
- Quark
- 907 RC
- 908 RC
- 307 cc Hybrid HDi.
- 4002
- Peugeot 20Cup
- Peugeot 308 RC Z
Others
Peugeot on TV/Movies
- A Peugeot 403 convertible was driven by Lieutenant
Columbo on the TV series Columbo.
- In the movie Ronin, a Peugeot 406 driven by
Robert De Niro is used in the finale car chase through Paris.
- In the series of Taxi movies, the souped-up taxi is a Peugeot 406, replaced by a Peugeot 407 in the later film. Peugeot also
supply a lot of the police vehicles.
- In the 2002 movie The Transporter, the majority of the Police cars are
Peugeot 307s and one 607.
- In the movie The Squid And The Whale Jeff Daniels' character, Bernard Berkman, drives
a Peugeot.
- In the Australian version of Deal or No Deal, it
featured a 307 to be won to which briefcase number to win it
- In an episode of the British comedy Absolutely Fabulous, Patsy and Edina
are seen driving a Peugeot 205 rental car on their French holiday.
- At the Melbourne International Motor Show a Scottish stunt driver demonstrates the technical abilities of Peugeots. [1]
- In the 1985 Arthur Penn film Target,
Gene Hackman and Matt Dillon hire a brand new
Peugeot 205 GTi 1.6 in Paris, France.
- In episode 27 of the Super Sentai series Mahou Sentai MagiRanger entitled "Our Bonds", Ozu Urara purchased a blue Peugeot 307 convertible
when she briefly moved out of the family home.
- In the 2003 film swimming pool by Francois Ozon, a Peugeot 205 Is used by Marcel (Marc Fayolle) to bring Sarah Morton
(Charlotte Rampling) from the airport to the villa in the South of France. A Phase 2 Peugeot 106 is also used by Julie (Ludivine
Sagnier) When she returns home to the French villa.
Advertising
Peugeot were once the shirt sponsors of Coventry City Football Club, who played
just a few miles away from the Ryton plant, during the 1990s.
See also
External links
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