Peugeot celebrates 200 years of industry

From humble beginnings making coffee grinders and bicycles in a small family-owned factory in Sochaux, France, Peugeot will this year celebrate 200 years as a manufacturing entity, more than 100 of those years spent building cars.

Although the Peugeot family can trace its manufacturing origins back to the 1700s, its real beginnings came in 1810 when it began producing grinders for coffee, salt and pepper. The forming of steel componenture eventually leading to the manufacture of rods for crinoline dresses, umbrella frames, saw blades, wire wheels and eventually, in 1830, bicycles.

The now famous lion emblem was trademarked in 1858, and following a meeting with Gottlieb Daimler in the late 1880s, Armand Peugeot convinced his family the automobile was a viable product, the first three-wheeled steam-powered car being produced in 1889.

Due to the cumbersome nature of steam-powered vehicles, only four of the original three-wheelers were produced, Peugeot again meeting with Daimler and newcomer Emile Levassor to build a petrol-powered (internal combustion engine) four-wheel car under licence from Daimler.

Peugeot's first car was innovative; with three-point suspension and a sliding-gear transmission it was well ahead of its contemporaries. Ever the innovator, Peugeot was also the first company to fit rubber tyres to its vehicles.

Early interest in motorsport also saw Peugeot become a successful name in the formative years of rally. Entering five cars in the 1894 Paris to Rouen rally, the company placed second, third and fifth -- the average speed of the event was 20.8km/h.

By 1896, when Armand Peugeot separated from the family business to form his own company, the Daimler engine was ditched in favour of a Rigoulot designed 6kW horizontally-opposed twin-cylinder unit which it fitted to the rear of its Type 15. Over the next few years, the engine was moved forward of the passenger compartment and a steering wheel adopted in favour of the then popular tiller, arguably the birth of the modern car.

A new factory was built in Audincort, entirely focused on producing cars, and by the end of 1899, Peugeot was building 300 examples annually, a quarter of the annual vehicle sales in France at the time. That same year, a Peugeot won the Nice-Castelle-Nice rally with a specially developed 15kW race car of 5850cc engine capacity.

In 1901, Peugeot made an appearance at the Paris Salon (the forerunner to the now famous Paris Motor Show) with its tiny 652cc (4kW) shaft-drive single-cylinder Bebe (Baby), the car quickly becoming a style leader of the time. The following year, after a dismal effort in the Paris to Vienna rally, Peugeot withdrew from motor racing.

Motorcycles were next on Peugeot's agenda, and in 1903 the first example was produced in Audincort, beginning a tradition that continues to this day. That year also saw the brand's popularity soar; producing a number of models it became responsible for more than half the cars sold on French roads.

After working with pioneers of the time, including Ettore Bugatti, Peugeot had become a leader of the automotive industry by 1912, developing two- and four-cylinder engines, producing the double overhead camshaft and initiating the four-valve per cylinder arrangement. Faster cars led Peugeot to again take part in motor racing events, winning that year's French Grand Prix, the average speed of the race car an impressive 110km/h.

A year later, Peugeot had developed the ball bearing crankshaft, gear driven camshafts and a dry-sump lubrication system, its 5655cc engine easily powering that year's entry to victory. In 1914, average race speeds had increased to 166km/h and although Peugeot was not victorious that year, it went on to win the event again the following year (1915).

With the outbreak of WW1, Peugeot turned its attention to arms production, building all manner of military equipment from bicycles, to arms, shells and even tanks.

Following the war, Peugeot's motor racing and engine development continued to thrive, celebrating wins in Touring Car grands prix, Targa events and even an impressive win at the Spa 24 Hour race in 1926. By 1929, the first of the '0' cars were produced with the 201 becoming the cheapest car on the French market. Still innovative, the 201 gained independent front suspension in 1931, just before the depression hit.

Thanks to pre-depression acquisitions, including Bellanger and De Dion, Peugeot survived the harsh economic times and made a comeback in 1933, when it unveiled its new aerodynamically-styled range, which gave birth to the 402 BL Eclipse Decapotable, the world's first retractable hardtop.

More '0' cars were added to the Peugeot line-up in the 1930s with the 202, 302 and 402, most continuing production through the Nazi occupation of WW2. By the end of the war, Peugeot introduced coil springs, rack and pinion steering and hydraulic brakes on its 203 model, a car that set sales records for the company until 1960.

Peugeot took over Chenard-Walcker and part of Hotchkiss in 1950, and in 1953 developed another model that was to remain in production for an extended period of time, the 403. With a 1.5-litre engine, the 403 remained in production until 1962, selling a remarkable one million units.

The late 1950s saw Peugeot export their vehicles across the globe and by 1960 the rugged 404 was introduced, winning the East African Safari rally in four of the six years between 1963 and 1968.

With a strong reputation, Peugeot was to form collaborations with Pinninfarina (styling the distinctive 504), Renault and Volvo, and by 1974, Peugeot had acquired 30 per cent of fellow countryman Citroen, completely taking over one year later to form Peugeot Societe Anonyme (PSA).

The joint venture saw each brand maintain its own identity and even saw Peugeot briefly control racing brand Maserati. Peugeot also acquired the European division of Chysler in 1978, a move that would see the company struggle through the early years of the 1980s until the popular and successful 205 model turned around the company's fortune.

In 1984, PSA began its first collaborative effort with China forming a successful venture with its Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroen Automobile. But in other markets, the good times weren't to last, aging models and slow sales forcing a withdrawal of the brand from the North American market in 1991.

From the late 1990s, the PSA group seemed to find more balance in its style and, subsequently, more traction in its sales. By the mid 2000s, PSA had a striking range of vehicles, again featuring the latest innovations of the day including prototype versions of cars sporting diesel/electric hybrid technology.

Plans for the continued expansion of the brand's model line-up continues with the first foray into the SUV and all-wheel drive segment, releasing the 3008 and 4007 models this year, the latter a collaborative effort with Japan's Mitsubishi Motors. All-electric models including the iOn and a sporty new model dubbed RCZ are also slated for launch in the not to distant future.

Similarly, and following its own motor racing lineage, Peugeot continues to excel in its motorsport endeavours with a solid finish at this year's LeMans 24 Hour race. Proving its on-going technological development, the race was run this year in diesel-powered 908 HDi FAP race cars.

Peugeot believes its continued development of new powertrain technology, especially in the diesel arena, will see it remain strong for many years to come, and in the shorter term, has plans to expand into Russia and South America and further into China.

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