The Peugeot marque is part of PSA Peugeot Citroen, the second largest car manufacturer in Europe. The first innovative step taken by Peugeot was in 1934 with the 402 BL Éclipse Décapotable. This model was the first convertible ever to have a retractable hardtop, a feature that has been readopted in the modern era by many manufacturers including Peugeot (with the 206cc). Peugeot’s innovative approach to manufacturing cars has continued throughout its lifetime, with modern examples including the electric sliding doors on the Peugeot 1007 (which decrease parking space) and the first car (Peugeot 607) with a self regenerating particulate filter (which drastically reduces exhaust pollution) as standard.
One of Peugeot’s most popular models was of course the Peugeot 205. The "Car of the Decade" (voted by CAR magazine in 1990) was available between 1983 and 1996 and sold in volumes in excess of 5 million before being replaced by the current 206 model. Other popular models included the 405 and 307, all of which have won the notable title of European Car of the Year awards in 1988 and 2002 respectively.
Peugeot has also proved its worth in the world of motorsport, most notably the World Rally Championships. Jean Todt (who later went on to become the Team Principal of the Ferrari Formula 1 Team) was first tasked with developing a winning car in 1981. In 1984, Peugeot’s dream was realised in the form of the Group B Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 and three consecutive wins in the tail end of the season. Peugeot then dominated the 1985 and 1986 seasons winning consecutive manufacturers championships titles and their two drivers winning a drivers championship apiece. Peugeot retired from World Rally after the FIA banned Group B cars in 1997 however they returned in spectacular form winning 3 consecutive manufacturers’ championships between 2000 and 2002.