Cars of the French corporation Peugeot often become a reasonable choice among the proposals of the current car industry. low cost, relatively modern technologies and good appearance make the cars of this concern popular all over the world. For quite a long time, the corporation has been owned by the joint French concern Peugeot-Citroen, and also closely cooperates with Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi. In the last ten years, the joint work of the French with Ford has also become noticeable.
The Peugeot-Citroen concern is one of the most widespread enterprises in the world. Until the 1990s, there was only one country of production of Peugeot - France. To date, the corporation's factories operate on four continents, each major country has its own assembly, which helps customers save a lot on buying French vehicles.
Geography of distribution of Peugeot plants
Spreading factories around the world gives buyers of Peugeots one big plus - a reduction in cost, due to the absence of increased taxes. If cars from France were brought to Brazil in assembled form, Peugeot would cost incredible money in Latin America. The only two continents that do not have Peugeot production facilities are North America and Australia.
South America, China, Russia, some African countries, Spain and Portugal, France and Italy, as well as Turkey - in all these countries there is a production of the French concern. Often, a company cooperates with other manufacturers to set up a plant. For example, production in Russia was created jointly with Mitsubishi. The benefits of such a wide distribution for the company are as follows:
- the possibility of reducing the tax burden on the company's budget;
- national assembly is important for many countries that are building up patriotism and a good attitude towards domestic production;
- assembly in most countries is much cheaper than in France;
- assembly quality of machines is controlled by automatic technologies;
- a wide network of enterprises opens up many opportunities for international cooperation.
The presence of factories in Italy and Spain allows the company to cooperate fruitfully with Fiat and Seat. Cooperation with other manufacturers often becomes the basis for the growth of a corporation and the acquisition of a quality position in the market. For example, mutually beneficial cooperation with Mitsubishi is the basis for the appearance in the modern model line of the company big crossover Peugeot 4008.
There are other examples of interesting cooperation, which is not known to the average layman. Today, only a part of really authentic cars is present in the model line of the French corporation, a large number of models are joint developments.
Problems and prospects for the development of Peugeot
The exchange of experience and technology is becoming the basis for the development of all European and other world car manufacturers. Nevertheless, the Peugeot-Citroen Corporation in 2014-2015 is going through hard times. The company has many problems that do not allow further development to the fullest.
Among the most serious tasks and problems that have arisen in recent years, the following aspects of the corporation's work can be distinguished:
- the staff in recent years has decreased to 200,000 people (8 thousand were reduced);
- new French developments concern only the appearance of cars - technically, cars have remained in the past decade;
- a huge amount of loans for the construction of new factories plunged the company into a pool of debt;
- financial obligations to partners led to a serious crisis within the company;
- demand french cars remains high only in France;
- the corporation abandoned some models in Africa, which brought stable profits, which aggravated the financial fall.
Nevertheless, the management of the corporation is taking a lot of positive steps to save the corporation. For example, today Peugeot cooperates with six global car manufacturing corporations. In cooperation with Toyota, the French produce class A cars, and BMW has jointly developed several prototypes of excellent low-emission engines. Mechanical and automatic transmissions produced jointly with Renault from 1966 to the present day.
Such cooperation allows the company to stay afloat and get more opportunities to distribute their cars. However, in many countries the demand for Peugeot cars has been falling in recent years. The corporation is forced to raise the cost of cars, because the competition becomes more intense.
The assembly of Peugeot today is almost completely robotic, but this is only the first step towards success in the market.
Video:
Take stock
Despite the difficult financial situation, the company participates in virtually every major world automobile show, presenting prototypes of future cars. Judging by the conceptual developments, the corporation has a lot of plans. Today, work is underway on the development of SUVs and large crossovers, family cars are being designed and prototypes of class A cars for Europe are being created.
If the company has enough funds to completely update the technical arsenal of current vehicles, Peugeot has every chance to capture a serious market share and get more loyal customers. Today, Peugeot remains a fallback option for many buyers.
If you drive a Peugeot, leave your feedback about a specific model of the company below in the comments.
History of the famous car brand Peugeot originates in the already very distant 18th century. Back in 1840, the efforts of the Peugeot family launched the production of coffee grinders and grinders for pepper and salt. The first experience in the production of vehicles was the creation by Armand Peugeot in 1882 of the bicycle "Le Grand Bi".
Armand Peugeot was seriously interested in the aging of vehicles and under his leadership in 1889 Leon Serpollet built the company's first three-wheeled car, which had steam engine. In 1891, thanks to cooperation with G. Daimler, the first Peugeot car with a gasoline engine appeared. In the future, starting from 1896, Peugeot cars are equipped with their own engines (the first Peugeot engine was designed by Rigulo and had a power of 8 hp) and no longer depends on the supply of Daimler units.
Actually car company was founded by Armand Peugeot in 1896 as Société Anonyme des Automobiles Peugeot. At the same time, a new factory was built, located in Audincourt, fully engaged in the production of cars.
Peugeot brand cars are produced under the lion logo, which was patented on November 20, 1858 by Emile Peugeot. From that day on, all Peugeot products are produced under the sign of a lion, which has undergone only minor changes over time.
The main stages of the development of Peugeot
Starting with the manufacture of bicycles (1882) Peugeot company successfully engaged in the production of motorcycles, mopeds, scooters and, of course, cars.
At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, Peugeot was actively engaged in the development and construction of cars under the guidance of the designer Ettore Bugatti. Note that by 1903 the company was already producing half of the cars produced in France. The needs of France during the First World War forced Peugeot to produce mainly military products of a wide range, up to tanks and shells.
In the period between the world wars, Peugeot continued to produce various cars with great success. Due to the high demand for their products in 1923, the level of production of Peugeot cars exceeded the mark of 10 thousand units.
Since 1931, the company's cars began to be equipped with an independent front suspension, which subsequently began to be used by other automakers. In 1935, the 402 model was presented at the Paris Motor Show, which later became very famous and gave rise to a whole series of "Sochaux streamline". On cabriolets of this model, the electric awning lifting system was used for the first time.
During the Second World War Peugeot factories were subjected to serious bombing and destruction, as a result of which the full-fledged production of cars was established only in 1949. Having quickly restored production potential, the company was able to produce its millionth car already in 1952.
Starting in 1974, Peugeot began buying shares in Citroën, which led to the creation of a joint company Peugeot Société Anonyme (PSA), which uses joint engineering technical resources, but both brands are retained. In the 70s, Peugeot also briefly controlled the sports racing brand Maserati. In 1978, Peugeot acquired Chrysler's European division and produced vehicles from the Chrysler–Simca range under the Talbot badge until 1986.
At present, the PSA Peugeot-Citroen Group is the largest private enterprise in France and occupies an honorable second place (after Volkswagen) in the production of cars in Europe. In 2012, more than 1.6 million cars were produced under the Peugeot brand, and the production volume of the entire concern exceeded 3 million units.
The history of the Peugeot brand knows many extraordinary and very interesting facts. Even at the dawn of the automotive industry, the company was at the forefront of scientific and technological progress. So already in 1892, the world's first mass-produced rubber tires were installed on Peugeot Type 4 cars. And what is it worth amazing car with a body of pure cast silver, made in 1892 by order of the Bey of Algeria.
In 1905, a machine gun was installed on the Peugeot chassis, which marked the emergence of a new class - combat vehicles.
In 1941, the designers create the Peugeot VLV, an urban light vehicle, which is essentially a three-wheeled electric cycle.
The company gave the world a lot of interesting and beautiful cars that even managed to make a good career on the silver screen. The extravagant Peugeot of Inspector Colombo, played by Peter Falk in the very popular series of the same name, was especially highlighted. And Peugeot 406 from the films of the sensational Taxi series by the famous producer Luc Besson became a real movie star.
Peugeot cars were very popular with famous and famous people. So French President Jacques Chirac preferred the solid Peugeot 607. In Russia, "Pyzhiks" registered in the garages of Alena Apina (model 406), Anton Makarsky (model 206) and other representatives of bohemia.
Thanks to advanced engineering solutions and high quality, Peugeot cars received the prize of the best European car three times - in 1969 - Peugeot 504, in 1988 - Peugeot 405, and in 2002 - Peugeot 307. And four models were included in the top three of the best European competition: 1980 - Peugeot 505, 1984 - Peugeot 205, 1996 - Peugeot 406, 1999 - Peugeot 206.
To preserve and promote its history, the SPA concern opened its own automobile museum in London's Soho quarter. It presents more than 150 car models, as well as many types of other transport technology issued over more than two centuries of the brand's history.
Peugeot brand and sport
Peugeot has always loved to make high speed cars. So the Peugeot car participated in the world's first automobile race - the Paris-Rouen run on June 22, 1894, and took second place, only ahead of the more advanced De Dion-Bouton steam train at that time. In 1912 Peugeot driven by George Boillot won the French Grand Prix in Dieppe.
More than a century later, in the 1990s, the Peugeot 406 successfully fought for the championship in the touring class, and won many race victories in France, Germany and Australia.
The 1990s went down in history with Peugeot's victories in the world championship. Of particular note are the victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans Peugeot 905 in 1992-1993, and already the diesel Peugeot 908 in 2009.
Key models of the Peugeot brand
Peugeot designers have created many models that have left a bright mark on the history of the automotive industry. Already at the beginning of the last century, the "People's" Peugeot Bebe was very popular. In 1913, Peugeot Goux saw the light - the most fast car, which developed an unprecedented speed of 187 km / h for its time.
In the 30s and 40s of the last century, the 402 and 302 models, which had an elegant design and a reliable classic design, set the automotive fashion.
In 1957, the Peugeot 404 was born, which managed to win the glory of the "eternal" car. The revolutionary design of the 404 model was created by the Pininfarina studio; for the first time in the history of the French brand, this car was applied diesel engine. The car in various modifications lasted on the assembly line until 1975, and in total more than 1.4 million copies were produced.
The small Peugeot 205, which began production in 1983, has truly become a legend in the modern automotive industry and has managed to win popular love.
Peugeot 106 set the tone in the class compact cars since 1991.
Released in 1996, it became very successful. Peugeot Partner, in just 33 months from the start of production, more than 1 million cars were produced.
Peugeot 206 model 1998 became the leader in terms of sales in the entire long history of Peugeot. In total, more than 5 million of these cars were produced.
In 2001, the Peugeot 307 appeared, which official experts recognized best car in the world in 2002.
Peugeot in Russia
In Russia, the Peugeot brand is especially popular, and affectionate vernacular name"Fawn" testifies to the universal love for her. Having appeared in our country almost one and a half hundred years ago, Peugeot is gaining new positions. Struggling for leadership since 2003, the company has been introducing models specially designed for our roads. In the same year, the Russian branch was officially established. PSA cars are among the top ten best-selling cars in Russia, and specifically, the Peugeot brand managed to achieve a 15% increase in sales in 2012.
In 1990, the company celebrated its centenary as an automotive company. But the adventurous history of Peugeot began much earlier: its first period was the era of pioneers, which around 1810 was marked by the opening of the first metalworking factory, followed by the production of tools and amazing success with bicycles.
At the dawn of the twentieth century, automobiles appeared on the scene. Peugeot becomes famous as one of the founding members of the automaker's shop and immediately wins the sympathy of many thanks to the amazing feats of intrepid young men driving horseless carriages. So humanity enters the era of speed.
After the First World War, the now mature car enters the modern era: from a handicraft manufacturer, Peugeot is transformed into a real industrial enterprise. Peugeot continues to amaze the imagination on the racetrack and makes the dream of owning a car a daily reality for many people.
However, clouds are gathering, a second global conflict is approaching. These times are destined to become an era of limitations. In the dark years, Peugeot participates in the Resistance. With freedom once again triumphant, Peugeot survives in a changed world, and history continues.
In the atmosphere of a demographic boom and post-war optimism, a new Europe arose, inclined towards consolidation and discovering consumerism. This is an era of progress and prosperity. Therefore, Peugeot becomes one of the world leaders in the automotive industry and provides cars for millions of people around the world.
The era of pioneers.
The Peugeot brothers come from a family of flour millers who lived near Montbéliard in the French department of Oak. In 1810 these young men came up with the idea of turning their mill into a metalworking factory and began supplying springs to local watchmakers.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century in England they invent steam engine and carriages without horses. These strange vehicles they resemble horse-drawn carriages, but there is one slight difference: they are driven by ingenious machines. From this era came to us the concept of "horsepower", used to this day to determine the power of the engine.
Between 1824 and 1882, new Peugeot factories are gradually established, products diversifying: springs, tools, corset-making mechanisms, coffee grinders (1840) and Sewing machines (1867).
Around 1860, the engine is born internal combustion. At first, it works on a gas-air mixture that explodes alternately from different sides inside the cylinder, causing the piston to move back and forth. The fuel is ignited by a spark plug (a Lenoir engine fitted to a small car in 1863).
1876: German inventors Gottlieb Daimler and Nikolaus Otto develop a four-stroke internal combustion engine.
IN 1882 The first bicycles appear that use wheels of different sizes (1.86 m front, 0.40 m rear). The production of Peugeot bicycles is rapidly gaining momentum.
IN 1884 Frenchman Edouard Delamare-Deboutville presents the first car. In 1886, Karl Benz creates a gasoline three-wheeled car that can reach an incredible speed - 15 km / h. This is the first real car. Frenchman Emile Levassor becomes the exclusive distributor of Daimler engines in France. He supplies them to manufacturers such as Panhard-Levassor and Peugeot.
IN 1889 year at the World Exhibition in Paris, the main attraction is the three-wheeled car "Serpollet-Peugeot" ("Serpolette-Peugeot"). But already at the beginning of next year, Peugeot masters the internal combustion engine and begins to produce a four-wheeled car with a Daimler engine.
The car is coming into use, but the main form of mechanical transport is still the bicycle. Peugeot - the largest manufacturer of this two-wheeled vehicle - is included in sports: in 1891 one of the first Peugeot Type 3 four-wheeled bicycles takes part in the first bicycle race from Paris to Brest and covers 2100 kilometers in 139 hours!
IN 1892 Peugeot produces 29 Type-3 quads in a year. For the bey of Tunisia, a unique model is created, called "Type-4", decorated with traditional Tunisian ornaments.
IN 1894 In the same year, a journalist from the French Petit Journal organizes a "competition of carts without horses, which are set in motion by mechanical force." The total number of participants is 21, Peugeot puts up six cars for the competition. As a result, Peugeot and Panhard-Levassor shared the first place.
Peugeot excelled again the following year by winning the Paris-Bordeaux-Paris race, the first ever time trial car race. However, history will perpetuate the fact that the Peugeot, nicknamed "L'Eclair" (literally - "lightning" because of the machine's tendency to zigzag), first used pneumatic car tires delivered by the Michelin brothers.
IN 1896 In the year Armand Peugeot created the Peugeot Automobile Society (Societe des Automobiles Peugeot) in Oudencourt. In the same year, Baron Julien's car disappears from the garage, this event was the first car theft in history - a Peugeot car!
1898: The prefect of Paris, Louis Lépin, introduces the first rules governing car traffic, and sets a speed limit of 12 km/h.
In Italy in 1899 Giovanni Agnelli creates the FIAT company.
At the turn of the century, Peugeot becomes a major automobile manufacturer: in 1899, the Peugeot catalog includes 15 models, from 2-seater to 12-seater cars. IN 1900 500 cars and 20,000 bicycles were produced.
1902: Birth of Cadillac in the USA.
1903: The Paris-Madrid race has been abandoned in Bordeaux after an accident that killed several drivers and spectators. It will take a few years for the young motorsport to recover from this first tragedy.
| 1 | |
Add to bookmarks
Add commentsPeugeot - French car brand owned by Peugeot Citroën. The entire range of Peugeot.
Early history
The company was founded in 1810 and initially produced coffee grinders and bicycles. In 1858, the image of a lion was chosen as the emblem of the trademark.
The first car of the company is an unreliable steam tricycle, created by Armand Peugeot in 1889. A year later, it was installed Gas engine Panhard-Daimler with a three-speed gearbox. But due to intra-family disagreements, Armand Peugeot separated from the family business and created the Société des Automobiles Peugeot in 1896.
In 1896, the first Peugeot engines appeared. The first engine was a two-cylinder, with horizontally arranged cylinders and had a power of 8 Horse power. It was installed on the back of the car, which had the name 15. Gradually, Peugeot products began to look like a modern car.
The engine moved under the front hood on the Model 48, the steering wheel appeared on the Model 36. In 1901, Peugeot showed a Bébé single-cylinder car with an engine of only 5 hp, and six years later he was already able to produce a car with a six-cylinder engine.
Years between the wars
After the war, automobile production resumed in earnest. In addition, the company's cars actively participated in races. The new Peugeot 201, produced in 1929, was very popular because of its affordable price. For the first time on this model, a modern way of naming models appeared.
In 1934, Peugeot released the 402 BL Éclipse Décapotable, the first convertible with a retractable hardtop. Soon the related Peugeot 202, Peugeot 302 were released. The production of these models, curtailed due to the war, was resumed from the middle of 1946.
After the war
In 1947, Peugeot 203 went on sale with coil spring suspension, rack and pinion steering and hydraulic brakes. The car was in record demand.
In the next decade, the Peugeot 403 appeared, subsequently sold in more than a million copies. The company began selling products in the United States in 1958, good demand in 1960 enjoyed Peugeot model 404, on which the forced engine from the 403 model was installed.
Several Peugeot models were produced in Australia, starting with the 203 in 1953. These were followed by the 403, 404 and 504 models from Australian assembly, and ended with the 505 in the early 1980s.
Acquisition of Citroen and Chrysler Europe
Mid-seventies - Peugeot, with the support of the French government, acquired the bankrupt company Citroën. And in 1978, Peugeot bought the European division of Chrysler, also desperately in debt.
1980s and 1990s
In 1983, the highly successful Peugeot 205 went on sale. The car sold so well that it became the best-selling car in France and was very popular in other parts of Europe, including the UK, where sales regularly exceeded 50,000 a year by the late 1980s. The joint venture in China produced the Peugeot 504 and 505 between 1985 and 1997.
The 405 sedan was released in 1987 and was very popular car throughout Europe and continued to be in demand in Africa and Asia even after it was replaced by the 406 almost a decade later. However, the car was not a success in the USA.
2000 onwards
Minivan Peugeot Partner Tepee
In addition, the company produces a wide range commercial vehicles in the form factor of a minibus.
For grinding salt, spices and coffee. The plant was equipped with three mechanical blacksmith hammers and seven cold rolling machines. The trademark of the company was the lion. There were three emblems. By 1886, the company launched the serial production of bicycles (as bicycles were called in those days), and three years later, in 1889, a three-wheeled steam car called Serpollet-Peugeot was rolled out of the company's gates.
Peugeot's first car
Photo: Pobeda Trading House was one of the largest in the Russian capital
Peugeot Bicycles
Much earlier than cars, Peugeot bicycles appeared in Russia, or, as they were then called, bisiclets. The first to sell them, to the great pleasure of the “pedaling” public, was a certain A. Averst, who kept a bicycle warehouse and a store in St. Petersburg at the corner of Simeonovskaya Street and Fontanka at No. 1-32. Advertising of this trading establishment is quite common in Russian sports magazines of the late 19th century. The cars cost, depending on the model and configuration, from 175 to 230 rubles and, apparently, they were popular with our compatriots. This is evidenced at least by the fact that in 1898 Peugeot biscuits were sold not only in the capital, but also in other large cities of the Russian Empire. Over time, not only bicycles, but also Peugeot motorcycles began to be delivered to Russia. They were sold at the same addresses and under the same conditions as bisiclets, however, the deposit for pre-ordering was no longer 50, but 100 rubles.
car era
At the very beginning of the 90s of the XIX century, the Russian Empire entered the community of automobile powers, with all the ensuing consequences. Gradually, the number of cars in the country grew. In 1898, the first store was opened in St. Petersburg, selling cars and motorcycles. And since French manufacturers then set the tone in the automotive business, this institution, of course, was French. It belonged to the company "Clement-Gladiator-Phebus".
In 1900, a new section "Import of cars and their parts" appeared in the customs statistics of Russia, which noted when, how many and what kind of cars were imported into the empire. Thanks to the preserved customs documents, it is clear that France and Germany were the leading suppliers of motor crews to our country. Thus began the era of the automobile in Russia
military vehicles
Delivering cars to Russia, Peugeot did not remain outside the interests of official government circles. When the War Department in 1912 decided to conduct a test run cars, wanting to identify "the most suitable samples for army needs", Peugeot cars were among the participants and showed themselves well.
In the same year, a cargo test run took place, the purpose of which was to select vehicles suitable for use in army units. Peugeot sent two cars for testing. These were three-ton machines equipped with four-cylinder engines with a capacity of 22 liters. from. Shortly before the start of the war, the car was trying on a military uniform.
Automobile exhibitions in Russia
The center of automotive life in Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century, of course, was the capital of the empire - St. Petersburg. Many cars plied the streets of the city, and many large European and American factories considered it necessary to keep their stores and representative offices there. It is not surprising, therefore, that the first specialized automobile exhibition in Russia took place in the capital.
Many manufacturers treated it with caution, since the automotive market in Russia was then just being formed. Cars were quite expensive - from 6 to 10 thousand rubles. Demand for cars remained rather modest, although even then Russia was considered a very promising market among foreign manufacturers.
Peugeot did not take part in the first Russian automobile exhibition. But at the next exhibition, the products of the Lion Mark could be seen at the stand.
Sports achivments
Sporting achievements of Peugeot cars were a great help in advertising. An advertising brochure from the beginning of the century noted that the cars of this brand won victories in a number of major international competitions, such as the Grand Prix de Dieppe in June 1912, the Grand Prix de France at Le Mans in September of that year, at the Mont Ventoux mountain race and Val Suzon, the Brookland auto race and several others.
Peugeot cars also took part in Russian competitions. So, in the car race in Simferopol, which took place on May 27, 1912 (according to the old style) under the auspices of the local gymnastic society, Mr. Obukhovsky started on a Peugeot with a 12 hp engine. from.
Russian emigrants in France
Many Russians worked at Peugeot factories in France in the 1920s and 1930s. According to statistics, over a million people were forced to leave Russia in the first years after the revolution. Some of them ended up in France. According to data given by historians, in 1921 there were more than 65,000 Russian refugees in the country, most of whom found refuge in Paris and its environs. Many of these people were deprived of any means of subsistence. Former soldiers, officers, doctors, entrepreneurs and lawyers were looking for any job that could feed themselves and their families.
In the cars that came out of the gates of the Peugeot factories at that time, there was a fraction of labor and emigrants from Russia.
Peugeot in the USSR
After the revolution of 1917, the company's ties with Russia were interrupted, but the "Lion Cars" continued to work in the country. It is interesting to trace the history of some of them. Take, for example, Peugeot cars from the garage of Nicholas II. After the February Revolution and the abdication of the emperor from the throne, the garage was reorganized into the Automobile Base of the Provisional Government, and all the cars located there received new owners.
The story of one Bebe
Everyone who has visited the automotive department of the Moscow Polytechnic Museum at least once will surely remember the small green car Peugeot Bebe, modestly standing on display. This is the most old car in our country, from those that are in private collections.
A real legend hovers around him: many believe that this car was owned by the son of Nicholas II, heir to the throne, Tsarevich Alexei. Is it so?
After the collapse of the USSR: New relations
The turning point in the relationship occurred in the early 1990s. After the collapse of the USSR, many foreign car manufacturers began to look at Russia as one of the largest potential markets in the world and considered it necessary to take a number of steps aimed at mastering this market as soon as possible. Representative offices of foreign companies appeared in Moscow and the capitals of the former Soviet republics like mushrooms after rain.
Plant construction
The successful development of the Russian automotive market in 2000-2007 convinced the management of the concern of the need to create a Russian Federation own production. This possibility was carefully studied by experts for several years, and in the end they came to the conclusion that this step was expedient.
At the beginning of 2008, a group of employees of the company arrived in the Russian capital, which was entrusted with the mission of preparing the construction. Soon, along with French specialists, our compatriots also joined it.
It took several months to prepare. During this time, PSA Peugeot Citroen and its partner Mitsubishi Motors Corporation found a suitable site near the city of Kaluga (next to the federal Kiev highway) and signed all the necessary agreements.
Chronicle Peugeot
15th century Information has been preserved that the Peugeot family lived in the department of Dubs in the vicinity of the city of Montbéliard.
1810
The brothers Jean-Pierre and Jean-Frederic Peugeot founded a factory for the production of springs and other metal products in the town of Sault Cre.
1819
The Peugeot brothers began to specialize in the production of products obtained by cold rolling of steel - saw blades, springs ...
1824
Start of product exports to Switzerland, Italy and Turkey.
1832
Creation of the Peugeot Brothers Society (Societe Peugeot Freres Aines)...