PEUGEOT

Why model 206 is immortal?

Modal cars can also be quite interesting. For example, did you know that the Peugeot 206 is still being built?
Inspiration can come from anywhere. Today it comes straight from the modal family home street of the undersigned. Independent research has shown that the Peugeot 206 is quite popular there (counted by hand, so very reliable).

Big numbers
So get the numbers there. Okay, the 206 doesn’t make it to cars like the Toyota Corolla, of which there are about 40 million. Officially, even the Renault Clio is above 206, with about 13 million copies. However, you have to imagine that all five generations are counted with the Clio, with the Corolla you can divide the numbers over fourteen generations and a lot of models based on the Corolla. The Peugeot 20 series knows how to easily leave the Clio behind and that is largely due to the more than ten million copies of the Peugeot 206, which trumps almost everything from France (including the 2CV and Renault 4 that were in production for decades) in one generation

Popular
Then you will wonder how this is possible. Yes, in the Netherlands it is therefore a popular car and forward, that it was delivered from 1998 to 2009 (with two bonus years, we will return to this later) is also longer than a lot of cars. In France, such a small capable car scores well and elsewhere in Europe the sleek car is also a hit. Not only in Europe, by the way, but we will come back to this as soon as possible.

The original
The original dates from 1998. The predecessor was the 205 and logically it is called 206. Where the 205 was still very square and straight-forward, the 206 is a recognizable design with many round shapes. It was also one of the first Peugeots according to a new design language, with the ‘big mouth’ as ​​a grille and the half-moons as headlights. Nevertheless, the car was simple enough to be sold new for around 11,000 euros. Accessibility is always a factor that helps with popularity. Little fact, although you may have noticed: the bonnet is asymmetrical. At the top left are two plastic cooling holes. Essential information for later.

Thanks and au revoir
Initially, the 206 lives a normal life. You could get it with three or five doors, for more space there was a SW and the 206 CC is one of the most popular convertibles of all time. In 2003 the car gets a minimal facelift, to make it just a bit more modern. This facelift also introduces the 206 RC, the fun version. All this lasts for a few years, but in 2006 (how ironic do you want a year) it is really time for something new. Renault has made the Clio so mature that Peugeot’s 20 series also has to rub a little more against the 30 series. The 207 is the result and the 206 is being phased out. From 2007 the 207 takes over and in 2009 (after two swing-out models for the 206) it is over and out for the 206. At least, in the form in which we know it.



Iran
In South America, too, they had had enough of the Peugeot 206, around the time the 208 came on the market. And yet the story continues. We owe that to Iran. IKCO (Iran Khodro) and Peugeot entered into an agreement so that Iran could build Khodro Peugeots in Iran. That agreement included the Peugeot 405 and 206 that are built like the 206s in Europe, but then a few thousand kilometers from home. The advantage that only turned out later is that in Iran it is not at all that difficult about crash tests and the latest technology. In addition, Iran Khodro was free to decide what to do with the production of the cars. When Peugeot pulled the plug on the 405, IKCO just kept going. Until very recently, you could still buy the 405 and the almost identical Peugeot PARS in Iran. That is also quite special.

Demise
How long can you milk out a model? Iran doesn’t seem to get enough. However, it has become clear that Peugeot recently broke off their ties with Iran Khodro and we are in the middle of the period when IKCO has to give up the old Peugeots. The Peugeot 405 and PARS can no longer be ordered and the Peugeot 206 also seems to be the end of the story soon. We hope that IKCO will tell you how many 206s we can add to the European and South American numbers before ending production. It could be the most produced one-generation car ever.

Diego Meadows, from Holland