Peugeot's 200th anniversary sees the culmination of two centuries marked by revolution, evolution, and innovation. Today Peugeot is the leading French manufacturer in the world in terms of registrations in 2009 and the 10th ranked manufacturer worldwide in 2009. Peugeot has a commercial presence in 160 countries.
Two hundred years ago, two Peugeot brothers, Jean-Pierre and Jean-Frédéric, established the Peugeot company with the creation of 'La société Peugeot-Frères et Jacques Maillard-Salins'. The company was set up after the brothers had converted their father's corn mill into a steel mill to make the most of the industrial revolution which was gathering pace.
Since then Peugeot has been associated with saws, tools, steel crinoline stays, salt and pepper mills, coffee grinders, bicycles, motorcycles, scooters, cars and vans. Each of these diverse products is founded on those early origins in steel while bearing Peugeot's hallmark of modernity and innovation.
A rapidly evolving brand
Throughout its 200 years, Peugeot has developed a unique long-term vision, enabling it to anticipate underlying trends, keep abreast of the times to adapt, and accept new challenges. This vision led Peugeot to successfully produce bicycles and motorcycles from 1886, and then in 1891 the motor car.
From the first petrol-powered four-wheeler, codenamed the Type 2, to its more recent products, Peugeot draws its strength from its industrial roots in the east of France, allied to a pioneering spirit. That spirit led Peugeot to create the 403, the first mass-produced diesel powered saloon; to launch the 205, a true icon thanks to its many versions and sporting victories; to introduce the particulate filter as a world first on the 607; to drive an HDi FAP engine to victory at Le Mans; and to create the BB1, the urban crossover between the car and the scooter.
By continually nurturing its engineering, human and industrial development, Peugeot has grown from an annual production rate numbered in dozens to a present day average daily production of several thousand units across 18 families of cars and light commercial vehicles.
Fifty per cent of Peugeots sold worldwide in 2009 had emissions of less than 140g/km CO2, and typical recognition of this was winning the International Engine of the Year 2009 Award (1.6 litre THP engine ) for the third year running.
