The
Peugeot 405 is a
large family carA large family car, also known as a D-segment car, is a European automobile classification which is larger than a small family car and smaller than an executive car. Multi-purpose vehicles based on a large family car design are often called large MPVs, while similarly-priced models from luxury car...
released by the French
automakerThe automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
PeugeotPeugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
in July 1987 and which continues to be manufactured under licence outside France. It used
TUThe PSA TU engine is a family of small four-cylinder engines used in the Peugeot and Citroën range of cars. It was introduced in 1986 with the Citroën AX, replacing the X family, although it shared many components with its predecessor...
/
XUThe PSA XU is a family of internal combustion engines used in Citroën and Peugeot automobiles. This family is best known as the engine of the Peugeot 305....
petrol and
XUDThe PSA XUD is a Diesel engine designed and built by PSA - Peugeot and Citroën. It is an Indirect Injection engine, that uses a version of the Ricardo Consulting Engineers Ricardo Comet prechamber cylinder head design. The engine comes in 1769cc 1.8 N/A, 1.8 Turbo, 1905cc 1.9 N/A, 1.9 Turbo, 2.1...
diesel engines.
The 405 featured
PininfarinaPininfarina S.p.A. is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder in Cambiano, Italy.Founded as Società anonima Carrozzeria Pinin Farina in 1930 by automobile designer and builder Battista "Pinin" Farina, Pininfarina has been employed by a wide variety of high-end automobile manufacturers,...
styling, characterized by good ride and handling. The 405 was voted
European Car of the YearThe European Car of the Year award was established in 1964 by a collective of automobile magazines from different countries in Europe. The current organisers of the award are Auto , Autocar , Autopista , Autovisie , L'Automobile Magazine , Stern and Vi Bilägare .The voting jury consists of motoring...
for 1988 by the largest number of votes in the history of the contest. About 2.5 million vehicles have been sold worldwide in left-hand and right-hand-drive versions, as a
berline (saloon) and
break (station wagon). No coupe was offered to the public, unlike the
504The Peugeot 504 is a large family car manufactured by French automaker Peugeot between 1968 and 1983, with licensed production continuing until 2006.-1968 — introduction:...
and
406The Peugeot 406 was a large family car made by the French automaker Peugeot from 1995 to 2004. Available in saloon, estate and coupé bodystyles with a choice of petrol or turbodiesel engines, the 406 replaced the Peugeot 405 in Peugeot's lineup, and was itself replaced by the Peugeot 407...
, as only two examples of the purpose-built 405 Turbo-16 (not to be confused with 405 T16) were made.
The appearance of the car bears similarities to those of the
Alfa Romeo 164The Alfa Romeo 164 is an executive car with saloon body, produced by the Italian automaker Alfa Romeo from 1987 to 1998.The 164 was re-badged as the 168 for the Hong Kong and Malaysian markets, as the number "164" had a very negative connotation , and "168" has quite the opposite The Alfa Romeo 164...
, launched the same year and also styled by
PininfarinaPininfarina S.p.A. is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder in Cambiano, Italy.Founded as Società anonima Carrozzeria Pinin Farina in 1930 by automobile designer and builder Battista "Pinin" Farina, Pininfarina has been employed by a wide variety of high-end automobile manufacturers,...
.
Production and markets
About 2.5 million vehicles have been sold worldwide. It slotted into the Peugeot range between the smaller 309 and the larger 505, giving it a firm rival for the
Ford SierraThe Ford Sierra is a large family car that was built by Ford Europe from 1982 until 1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément. The code used during development was "Project Toni"....
/
Ford MondeoThe Mondeo was launched on 8 January 1993, and sales began on 22 March 1993. Available as a four-door saloon, a five-door hatchback, and a five-door estate, all models for the European market were produced at Ford's plant in the Belgian city of Genk...
and
Vauxhall CavalierThe Vauxhall Cavalier is a large family car sold primarily in the UK by Vauxhall Motors, the British division of General Motors , from 1975 to 1995...
/
Opel VectraThe Opel Vectra is a large family car that was engineered and produced by Opel. In the United Kingdom, the car was sold under the Vauxhall marque as the Vauxhall Cavalier and later as the Vauxhall Vectra, from 1995 onwards...
.
The 405 was the last Peugeot vehicle sold in the US, the company withdrawing in 1991.
Peugeot 405s are popular models in Thailand, following the success of the Peugeot 505 after the Thai government cancelled a restriction on CBU car imports in the late-1980s. The 405 was available in GR and SR forms with 1.6 or 2.0-litre petrol engines, MI16 models being introduced in the mid-1990s alongside injection models after the government's announcement that all cars required a
Catalytic ConverterA catalytic converter is a device used to convert toxic exhaust emissions from an internal combustion engine into non-toxic substances. Inside a catalytic converter, a catalyst stimulates a chemical reaction in which noxious byproducts of combustion are converted to less toxic substances by dint...
from 1993.
Designed in France, it has been manufactured in:
- Europe: from 1987 to 1997 at Sochaux
Sochaux is a commune in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France.-Population:Inhabitants are known as Sochaliens.-Economy:...
(France) and RytonRyton-on-Dunsmore is a village and civil parish in the Rugby district of Warwickshire, and is south-east of Coventry, England. The 2001 census recorded a population of 1,672 in the parish. The A45 dual carriageway passes through the village....
(UK).
- Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
: until 2002, by Quest.
- Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
: Wagih Abaza produces the 405, as well as marketing other models.
- Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
: From mid 2010 it was produced by Iran KhodroIran Khodro Company, also known as IKCO, is the leading Iranian automaker with headquarters in Tehran. The company's original name was Iran National. IKCO was founded in 1962 and it produced 688,000 passenger cars in 2009...
as the 405 SLX with an air bag, ABS and other features.
- Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
: Produced by Franco-Chilena in Los Andes, including STI Fase II model.
- Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
: Several saloon models, including diesels were built in the Villa Bosch Peugeot facility from 1992 to 1999. In this country the 405 has been an extremely popular car, with total sales of over 500,000 units.
- Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
: Produced by FSO LublinLublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
.
- Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
: Produced by Yu-Tien Motors from 1989-1995 (Production ceased after bankruptcy).
Design and styling
It has been available in left-hand and right-hand-drive versions, as a saloon and station wagon, in front-wheel, and four-wheel drive. Designed by Pininfarina, the 405 shares its platform with the
Citroën BXThe Citroën BX is a large family car that was produced by the French manufacturer Citroën from 1982 to 1994. In total, 2,315,739 BXs were built during its 12-year history. The hatchback was discontinued in 1993 with the arrival of the Xantia, but the estate continued for another year.-History:The...
that appeared in 1982, although the physical appearance of the two cars is very different.
Iranian variants
Iran Khodro also produces several models derived from the 405. The
Peugeot Pars-Peugeot Pars 16V:Not as equipped as ELX, this model was simply an upgraded version of Pars in aspects of engine and rear brakes. The 16V employed a more powerful 16 valve engine, and rear disc brakes, but ABS was not available even as an option...
, also known as the Peugeot Persia, is a facelifted 405 with a redesigned front end including clear lamp lenses and a revised rear. The
Peugeot RD is a rear wheel drive car which has a 405 body and mechanical parts from the
Paykan]The Paykan was an automobile produced by the Iranian company Iran Khodro Industrial Group. The car was very popular in Iran from the late 1960s to the late 1990s...
. Since 2006, it has been sold in certain Middle Eastern markets as the
Peugeot ROAThe Peugeot ROA is an Iranian made car . It is a developed version of the Peugeot RD 1600. The car is a combination of Paykan and Peugeot 405. Upon first glance it may easily be mistaken for a Peugeot 405...
.
The
SamandSamand is an Iranian car brand manufactured by Iran Khodro using local manufacturers for its parts.In Persian, Samand is the name for a breed of fast horse. Samand trade name is now registered at the World Intellectual Property Organization. Its selling price starts at $14,500 in Turkey.The Samand...
, which was designed to be a "national car" for Iran, is also based on the 405 platform. It replaced the long-running
Paykan]The Paykan was an automobile produced by the Iranian company Iran Khodro Industrial Group. The car was very popular in Iran from the late 1960s to the late 1990s...
which was itself based on the
Hillman HunterRootes Arrow was the manufacturer's name for a range of cars produced under several badge-engineered marques by the Rootes Group from 1966 to 1979. It is amongst the last Rootes designs, developed with no influence from future owner Chrysler...
, an ancestor (in corporate ownership and model positioning terms) of the 405, having been produced by the Rootes Group and
Chrysler UKChrysler Europe was a division of the Chrysler Corporation that operated between 1967 and 1979.-Formation:In the 1960s, Chrysler sought to become a world producer of automobiles. The company had never had much success outside North America, contrasting with Ford's worldwide reach and General...
from 1963 until 1979 - the year that Peugeot purchased Chrysler's European operations.
Timeline
- 1987: In July, Peugeot unveiled 10 versions of the 405 simultaneously for the 1988 model year, with sales on the continent beginning before Christmas. The 405 was available as a 4-door only. Four-cylinder petrol engines included 65, 92, 110, 125, and 160 hp (48, 69, 82, 93, and 119 kW) units.
- 1988: 70 and 90 hp (52 and 67 kW) diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
s are added to the range. Estate introduced. Sales in the United Kingdom begin on 22 January.
- 1989: 500,000 vehicles already produced.
- 1990: In France, the 1 millionth 405 leaves the Sochaux
Sochaux is a commune in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France.-Population:Inhabitants are known as Sochaliens.-Economy:...
factory. BE1 transmission replaced by the BE3.
- 1991: Updates to the dashboard
A dashboard is a control panel placed in front of the driver of an automobile, housing instrumentation and controls for operation of the vehicle....
, steering wheelA steering wheel is a type of steering control in vehicles and vessels ....
, and soundproofing.
- 1993: Phase 2 model. New boot (trunk) with better ingress, new rear lights and boot design and new dashboard. Launch of the turbocharged, 16-valve, four wheel drive
The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, more often known as Four Wheel Drive or just FWD, was founded in 1909 in Clintonville, Wisconsin, as the Badger Four-Wheel Drive Auto Company by Otto Zachow and William Besserdich.-History:...
405 T16. (LHD only)
- 1995: The 405's replacement, the 406
The Peugeot 406 was a large family car made by the French automaker Peugeot from 1995 to 2004. Available in saloon, estate and coupé bodystyles with a choice of petrol or turbodiesel engines, the 406 replaced the Peugeot 405 in Peugeot's lineup, and was itself replaced by the Peugeot 407...
is introduced. 405 saloon discontinued. Airbag becomes an option on some models, and standard on the Mi16 (except UK) and T16.
- 1997: Estate discontinued in Europe, marking the end of European production of the 405.
Versions
UK Market
1988-1992 range
- GE - 1.6 L 8-valve, basic model
- Style - 1.6 L 8-valve, basic model, UK market only
- GL/GR - 1.6L 8-valve, 1.9L 8-valve
- GLD/GRD - 1.9L 8-valve diesel
- GLDt/GRDt/GTDt 1.8L 8-valve turbo diesel
- GRi/SRi/GTX - 1.9 L 125 bhp 8-valve fuel injected, based on the same engine as the 205
The Peugeot 205 is a supermini produced by the French car manufacturer Peugeot between 1983 and 1998. It was declared 'Car of the Decade' by CAR magazine in 1990. The 205 won 1984 What Car? car of the year.-History:...
GTI 1.9.
- Mi16 - 1.9L 16-valve fuel injected all alloy engine, with 160 bhp. The engine (XU9J4
The PSA XU is a family of internal combustion engines used in Citroën and Peugeot automobiles. This family is best known as the engine of the Peugeot 305....
) of the Mi16 was later used by Peugeot as the basis for the engine in the 206The Peugeot 206 is a supermini car, manufactured by the French automaker Peugeot from 1998 to 2010.Even though the 206 has finished production in most markets as of 2010, in Europe since 2009, it is available the 206+, with a back and especially a front design that resembles the Peugeot 207.-The...
WRC, winning two championships.
1992-1994 range
- Style - 1.4 L 8-valve, 1.6L 8-valve, 1.9 L 8-valve diesel
- GL/GLdt - 1.4 L 8-valve, 1.6L 8-valve, 1.8L 8-valve, 1.9 L 8-valve diesel, 1.9 L 8-valve turbo diesel
- GR/GRdt - 1.6 L 8-valve, 1.8L 8-valve, 2.0L 8-valve, 1.9 L 8-valve diesel, 1.9 L 8-valve turbo diesel
- SRi/SRdt - 2.0 L 8-valve, 1.9 L 8-valve inter-cooled turbo diesel, with rear spoiler and sports styling
- STi/STdt - 2.0 L 8-valve, luxury model, 1.9 L 8-valve turbo diesel
- Hunter - 1.9 L 8-valve turbo diesel, Special edition
- Mi16 - 2.0 L 16-valve, 155 bhp
- Mi16 Le Mans - 2.0 L 16-valve, Special edition Mi16, came with special edition red paint, alcantara (leather/suede) seats and alloys. 1,000 produced
- T16 - The top of the line homologation special, 200 hp at 1,1 bar (normal boost) 220 hp at 1,3 bar (overboost) for 45 sec. 2.0 L 16-valve turbocharged XU10J4TE engine with watercooled chargecooler, constant four wheel drive with 53/47% power distribution and self-regulating hydraulic rear axle. 1061 examples were built, 60 of them for the French Police.
1994-1996 range
- Style - 1.6L 8-valve, 1.9 L 8-valve diesel, 1.9 L 8-valve turbo diesel
- Quasar - 1.8L 8-valve, 1.9 L 8-valve diesel, 1.9L 8-valve turbo diesel
- GLX - 1.6L 8-valve, 1.8L 8-valve, 1.9 8-valve diesel, 1.9 8-valve turbo diesel
- GTX - 2.0L 8-valve, 1.9 8-valve diesel, 1.9 8-valve turbo diesel
- Executive - 2.0L 8-valve, 1.9 8-valve turbo diesel
1996-1997 range (estate models only)
- Style - 1.8L 8-valve, 1.9L 8-valve diesel, 1.9L 8-valve turbo diesel
- LX - 1.8L 8-valve, 1.9L 8-valve diesel, 1.9L 8-valve turbo diesel
- GLX - 2.0L 8-valve, 1.9L 8-valve turbo diesel
- Executive - 2.0L 8-valve, 1.9L 8-valve turbo diesel
Motorsport
The most famous motorsport version of the 405, the
rallyingRallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
405 Turbo 16 GR, was very different from the road-going 405. It was built in a coupe body style in mid-engine configuration, had constant
four wheel driveThe Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, more often known as Four Wheel Drive or just FWD, was founded in 1909 in Clintonville, Wisconsin, as the Badger Four-Wheel Drive Auto Company by Otto Zachow and William Besserdich.-History:...
with electronically adjustable center differential like the
205The Peugeot 205 is a supermini produced by the French car manufacturer Peugeot between 1983 and 1998. It was declared 'Car of the Decade' by CAR magazine in 1990. The 205 won 1984 What Car? car of the year.-History:...
T16, as it was based on the same technology. At least four were produced, competing in hill climbs and the Paris-Dakar rally. Today, three are in the official Peugeot museum, and the other is in a private collection.
- 1988: Finnish driver Ari Vatanen
Ari Pieti Uolevi Vatanen is a Finnish rally driver turned politician and Member of the European Parliament 1999–2009. Vatanen won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1981 and the Paris Dakar Rally four times....
set a new record in the Pikes Peak International HillclimbThe Pikes Peak International Hill Climb , also known as The Race to the Clouds, is an annual automobile and motorcycle hillclimb to the summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado, a distance of over 156 turns, climbing from the start at Mile 7 on Pikes Peak Highway at on grades averaging 7% over...
(an award winning film of the drive titled Climb DanceClimb Dance is a famous cinéma vérité short film, which features Finnish rally driver Ari Vatanen setting a record time in a highly modified four-wheel drive, all-wheel steering Peugeot 405 Turbo 16 GR at the 1988 Pikes Peak International Hillclimb in Colorado, USA. The film was produced by Peugeot...
was made by Jean Louis Mourey). Kankkunen and Piironen win the Paris-Dakar Rally in the 405 T16 GR.
- 1989: Victory in the Paris-Dakar rally by the Vatanen-Ickx team in a 405 T16 GR.
- 1990: Victory in the Paris-Dakar rally by the Vatanen-Berglund team in a 405 T16 GR.
Racing 405s much closer in specification to the road-going models were campaigned for several years in European
touring car racingTouring car racing is a general term for a number of distinct auto racing competitions in heavily-modified street cars. It is notably popular in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Scandinavia and Britain.-Characteristics of a touring car:...
during the early to mid 1990s, most notably in the
British Touring Car ChampionshipThe British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
and the French Supertourisme Championship. In Britain, the 405 did not achieve much success, but the car won the French series in both 1994 and 1995, in the hands of
Laurent AïelloLaurent Aïello is a race car driver.In 1990 he won the Monaco Grand Prix Formula Three support race. His two seasons in International Formula 3000 were not successful however, and though he won the French Formula Three Championship. 2005 was his final competitive season...
.
Advertising
A famous 1989 British television advertisement for the 405 featured a version of the
BerlinBerlin is an American New Wave/Synthpop band. The group was formed in Los Angeles in 1978 by John Crawford . The band contained Crawford, Terri Nunn , David Diamond , Ric Olsen , Matt Reid and Rod Learned . Learned left during the first EU tour and was replaced by Rob Brill...
hit record
Take My Breath AwayAmerican pop singer Jessica Simpson covered "Take My Breath Away" and released it as the third single from the album In This Skin in 2004. Her version was produced by Billy Mann. Simpson chose to cover this song because she felt that it was the theme song of her relationship with her then husband,...
, playing as a 405 GTX sped through exploding fields of fire. This advertisement was reworked in 1990 and again in early 1991.
External links