Peugeot 206

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Peugeot 206
Manufacturer	Peugeot
Parent company	PSA Peugeot Citroën
Production	1998–2010 5 million (26 May 2005)
Predecessor	Peugeot 205
Successor	Peugeot 207
Class	Supermini
Body style(s)	3- and 5-door hatchback 4-door sedan 2-door coupé cabriolet 5-door station wagon
Layout	FF layout
Length	Hatchback/SW/CC 3835/4028/3835 mm
Width	1652/1652/1652 mm
Height	1428/1460/1373 mm
Curb weight	1025-1145 kg
Related	Citroën C3

The rear of a silver 1999 Peugeot 206

Introduced in 2001, the 206 CC cabriolet featured a powered fold-away roof based on the Georges Paulin system first seen on the 1935 Peugeot 402 Eclipse coupe.

The Peugeot 206 is a supermini (subcompact car), manufactured by the French automaker Peugeot since 1998.

[edit] The project

During the early 1990s, Peugeot decided not to directly replace the iconic Peugeot 205, citing the reason that superminis were no longer profitable or worthwhile. Instead, Peugeot followed a unique strategy and decided that its new, smaller, supermini, the Peugeot 106 (launched in 1991) would take sales from the lower end of the 205 range while the lowest models of the Peugeot 306 range, launched in 1993 to replace the Peugeot 309, would take sales from the top-end 205s. Between the 106 and 306, Peugeot hoped that the 205 would not need to be replaced, and could be phased out slowly, while customers who would normally plump for the 205 would continue to have a choice with either a smaller or larger car.

Unfortunately for Peugeot, this strategy did not work. With the 205 phased out, rival superminis like the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo continued to sell well and even increased in popularity, and without a direct competitor to these rivals Peugeot was losing sales fast. A new supermini was required, and the 206 was launched in 1998 as a somewhat belated replacement for the 205.

Although the 206 moniker indicates a direct continuation from the 205, some critics state that the car should have instead been badged 207. This is because Peugeot launched its latest generation of cars in the early to mid 1990s, with the 106 of 1991, the 306 of 1993 and the 406 of 1995.

Its eventual successor - the Peugeot 207 - was launched in 2006 but Peugeot announced its intention to keep the 206 in production until 2010. As of 2007, the nine-year-old 206 is Peugeot's best-selling car of all time, and its demise in 2010 will spell an end to the '06' generation of Peugeots after almost 20 years.

It was built in France and England until the end of 2006, when production was switched to Slovakia. The end of British production coincided with the closure of the Ryton plant which Peugeot had taken over when buying Chrysler's European division in 1979.

[edit] Design and engineering

With no larger in-house rival from Citroën to base its new supermini on (the Citroën Saxo shared its platform with the 106), Peugeot developed an all-new front drive platform for the 206.

[edit] Overview

The 206 was originally launched as a hatchback with 1.1L, 1.4L, and 1.6L petrol engines and a 1.9L diesel engine, a HDi version with common rail coming later. In 1999 a 2.0L GTi capable of 210 km/h (130 mph), and in 2003 a tuned version of the GTi called the Peugeot 206 RC (GTi 180 in the UK), were added to the range. It did 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 7.4s and it reached a top speed of 220 km/h (140 mph) with 180 bhp (130 kW). In 2001, two more versions of the 206 were launched - the 206 CC (coupé convertible) with a folding steel roof and the 206 SW station wagon. A 4-door sedan version, developed with Iran Khodro, was unveiled in late 2005, and it is available in the Iranian, North African, Chinese, Russian, and Bulgarian markets.

The 206 is mainly manufactured in Peugeot's Poissy and Mulhouse factories although the car is also produced by Iran Khodro in Iran for that market; a sedan model was developed in Iran under the name "Peugeot 206 SD" which will reportedly be exported as well.^[1] It was assembled in Chile for the Mexican and Colombian markets (French made 206s were cheaper than Chilean-built ones, in Chile). The Brazilian production in Porto Real, Rio de Janeiro, started in 2001, followed by the SW version in 2005. The Brazilian production features 1.0L 16V, 1.4L 8V, and 1.6L 16V engines, the last two of which are flexible fuel engines (petrol/ethanol).

The Peugeot 206 was also built at Ryton in Coventry, England, however, with the introduction of the '207' to the range Peugeot decided to pull the plug on the Ryton factory which closed in January, 2007 with the loss of 2,300 jobs making it another blow to the British motor industry after MG Rover collapsed. The 206 will continue to be manufactured in France. It is still on sale in the UK as of 2007, a year after the launch of the 207.

The Peugeot 206 proved to be a sales success all over Europe. It was the best-selling car in Europe from 2001 to 2003. The 1.4L XR was the best-selling model. On May 26th 2005, the 206 celebrated the five millionth unit produced since its commercial launch on 10 September 1998. Sales in the UK were strong from the start, with the 206 regularly being among the nation's five most popular new cars during its first six years on sale. Second-hand examples of the 206 traditionally hold their value well, due to high demand.

The Peugeot 206 is also being produced in Buenos Aires, Argentina since 1999. The models being manufactured are XR, XRD, XS, XT and XTD. The diesel powered versions use the normally aspirated DW engine.

In May 2006, the Malaysian car manufacturer Naza launched a locally assembled version of the 206 with the name of "206 Bestari". From Jan 2006, Peugeot 206 is being produced in China. In September 2006 Citroën China showed of slightly modified Peugeot 206 called Citroën C2 (this car has nothing in common with the European Citroën C2).

[edit] Safety

In the EuroNCAP crash tests, the 206 (with dual frontal airbags and no side airbags) received a frontal rating of 11 / 16 and a side rating of 14 / 16 for a total of 4 / 5 stars.^[2]

[edit] Engines

• 1.1 L (1124 cc) TU1 I4, 60 PS (59 hp/44 kW)
• 1.4 L (1360 cc) TU3 I4, 75 PS (74 hp/55 kW)
• 1.4 L (1360 cc) ET3 16v I4, 88 PS (87 hp/65 kW)
• 1.6 L (1587 cc) TU5 8v I4, 90 PS (90 hp/67 kW)
• 1.6 L (1587 cc) TU5JP4 16v I4, 109 PS (108 hp/80 kW)
• 2.0 L (1997 cc) EW10 16v I4, 136 PS (134 hp/100 kW)
• 2.0 L (1997 cc) EW10J4S 16v I4, 177 PS (180 hp/130 kW)
• 1.4 L (1398 cc) DV4 HDi Diesel I4, 68 PS (67 hp/50 kW)
• 1.9 L (1868 cc) DW8 Diesel I4, 71 PS (70 hp/52 kW)
• 1.6 L (1560 cc) DV6 HDi HDi 16v I4, 109 PS (108 hp/80 kW)
• 2.0 L (1997 cc) DW10 HDi I4, 90 PS (89 hp/66 kW)

[edit] 206 Escapade

Following brands like Fiat and Volkswagen, Peugeot sells a soft-roader version of the Peugeot 206 in selected South American markets, called the Peugeot 206 Escapade.^[3] It's basically a Peugeot 206 SW station wagon with a rugged SUV-like bodykit and a higher and stronger suspension. It's powered with a 1.6L 16v engine.

[edit] 206 SD

A sedan model was developed in Iran under the name "Peugeot 206 SD" which will reportedly be exported as well.^[1] It was jointly designed by Peugeot and Iran Khodro, and was initially named "Peugeot 206 NP" (New Paykan), but was later renamed to SD^[4] and the name New Paykan was reserved for a later design by Iran Khodro.^[5] Peugeot 206 SD is the fifth and last version of Peugeot 206 models.^[6]

[edit] Citroën version

Starting 2006, the 206 is being sold by PSA, for the Chinese market only, under the Citroën brand, with a modified front and rear body; this is similar to the way the Citroën LN was derived from the 104. The car will be sold as the Citroën C2, although it has no common features with the European Citroën C2.^[7]

[edit] Indonesian versions

Marketed since 2000, in Indonesia the Peugeot 206 available as XR model. It has TU3JP 1.4L 75 HP petrol engine, with manual or automatic transmission.

The Indonesian version of Peugeot 206

[edit] Malaysian versions

In Malaysia, the Peugeot 206 is also marketed under the Naza name. It is sold as the Naza 206 Bestari, and is available in 1.4L petrol engine (TU3), both Automatic With Tiptronic System Porsche and Manual Transmissions.

[edit] 206 in rallying

Juuso Pykälistö driving a Peugeot 206 WRC at the 2003 Swedish Rally.

In 1999, Peugeot Sport unveiled the 206 WRC, and it competed for the first time in that year's World Rally Championship. The car was soon a success, and won the drivers' championship in 2000 in the hands of Marcus Grönholm. In 2002, Grönholm again won the WRC title in his 206 WRC. His dominance that year was compared to Michael Schumacher's dominance of Formula 1. In addition to the drivers' championships in 2000 and 2002, Peugeot also won the Manufacturers' title three years in a row between 2000 and 2002. However, by 2003 the 206 WRC was beginning to show its age and was less effective against the competition, notably the newer Citroën Xsara WRC and the Subaru Impreza WRC, so it was retired from competition at the end of the season, to be replaced with the 307 WRC based on a 307 cc.

Peugeot GB created a Peugeot 206 rally championship aimed at young drivers. The championship was created to help young drivers develop their careers. The cars were built by Vic Lee Racing and drivers such as Tom Boardman, Luke Pinder and Garry Jennings all drove in the championship.

[edit] "The Sculptor"

A popular television commercial for the 206, known as "The Sculptor", involved a young Indian man deliberately damaging a Hindustan Ambassador (including having an elephant sit on it) and then spending the night welding it. The following day, the car emerges as an exact replica of the 206's shape - except with many dents and discolorations. The man then takes his 206 replica driving with friends, with many interested onlookers. The track playing is "Heaven Is A Place On Earth" by Raja Mushtaq, later remixed as "Husan", by Bhangra Knights.^[8]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Peugeot 206

• Official international 206 English website