2009 Peugeot 206 - Edited
Peugeot's best-selling car of all time, with well over 8 million of them having been produced in-house by Peugeot between 1998 and 2012, and at least 2 million derivatives being produced under license in China, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia and Uruguay. The Iranian version is still under production. But the 206 nearly didn't happen at all.
When it was time to retire the 205, Peugeot looked at the market and decided sales of compact hatchbacks were in decline, whilst sales of supermini city cars and larger hatchbacks were increasing. Based on this data, their strategy was to produce a supermini (the 106) and a larger hatchback (the 306). However, sales of their rival's compact hatchbacks (i.e. the Ford Fiesta and the VW Polo) were strong, production of the 205 was winding down, and Citroen had no platform suitable to base a Peugeot model from. So they had no option but to design and launch a competitive product from the ground up. Hence, the 206 was born.
Available in a range of body styles (a hatchback, a sedan, a coupe/cabriolet, a station wagon, and a van), with a range of engine choices (various sizes of petrol and diesel engines), and in a range of trim options, there was a 206 suitable for almost everyone. The versatile range, attractive styling, and competitive price point, combined with some slick advertising, ensured that the 206 was a hit.
I still think they're good-looking cars; the Peugeots of that era (206, 306, and 406 especially) are some of their best designs.
Composite image, made up of several shots in portrait orientation, stitched together using the excellent freeware utility, Hugin.
2009 Peugeot 206 - Edited
Peugeot's best-selling car of all time, with well over 8 million of them having been produced in-house by Peugeot between 1998 and 2012, and at least 2 million derivatives being produced under license in China, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia and Uruguay. The Iranian version is still under production. But the 206 nearly didn't happen at all.
When it was time to retire the 205, Peugeot looked at the market and decided sales of compact hatchbacks were in decline, whilst sales of supermini city cars and larger hatchbacks were increasing. Based on this data, their strategy was to produce a supermini (the 106) and a larger hatchback (the 306). However, sales of their rival's compact hatchbacks (i.e. the Ford Fiesta and the VW Polo) were strong, production of the 205 was winding down, and Citroen had no platform suitable to base a Peugeot model from. So they had no option but to design and launch a competitive product from the ground up. Hence, the 206 was born.
Available in a range of body styles (a hatchback, a sedan, a coupe/cabriolet, a station wagon, and a van), with a range of engine choices (various sizes of petrol and diesel engines), and in a range of trim options, there was a 206 suitable for almost everyone. The versatile range, attractive styling, and competitive price point, combined with some slick advertising, ensured that the 206 was a hit.
I still think they're good-looking cars; the Peugeots of that era (206, 306, and 406 especially) are some of their best designs.
Composite image, made up of several shots in portrait orientation, stitched together using the excellent freeware utility, Hugin.