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Peugeot 206

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Peugeot 206
Manufacturer: Peugeot
Production: 1998-2012
Class: Supermini]]
Body styles: FF 3- and 5-door hatchback
4-door sedan
2-door coupé cabriolet
5-door station wagon
Predecessors: Peugeot 205
Successors: Peugeot 207
Competitors: Citroën C3
Fiat Punto
Ford Fiesta
Opel Corsa
SEAT Ibiza
Volkswagen Polo
The rear of a silver 1999 Peugeot 206
The Peugeot 206 is a supermini manufactured by the French automaker Peugeot since 1998.

Contents

The project

During the early to mid-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, much smaller, supermini, the Peugeot 106 launched in 1991, would take sales from the lower end of the 205 range while the lowlier 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 slowly phased out sales of rival's superminis continued to sell well and even increased, 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 to the 205.

Although the 206 moniker indicates a direct continuation to 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 106 of 1991, the 306 of 1993 and the 406 of 1995.

Design and engineering

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

Overview

The 206 was originally launched as a hatchback with 1.1 L, 1.4 L and 1.6 L petrol engines and a 1.9 L diesel engine, a HDi version with common rail coming later. In 1999 a 2.0 L GTI capable of 210 km/h as well as 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 7.5s and it reached a top speed of 220 km/h (137 mph) with 177 PS (130 kW). In 2001, two more versions of the 206 were launched - the 206 CC (Coupé Cabriolet) with a folding steel roof and the 206 SW station wagon. A 4-door sedan version was unveiled in late 2005, and it is available in the North African, Chinese and Iranian markets.

The 206 is mainly manufactured in Peugeot's Poissy and Mulhouse factory although the car is also produced at Ryton in Coventry, England and by Iran Khodro in Iran for their respective markets, although Iran's model will reportedly be exported as well.[link] 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 1.0 L 16V, 1.4 L 8V and 1.6 L 16V engines, the last two of which are flexible fuel engines (petrol/ethanol). The Iran Khodro production line also produces a unique 206 SD model, also known as the 206 Aryan, which is a 4-door sedan.

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 1.4 L XR was the best-selling model.

The Peugeot 206 is also being produced in Buenos Aires, Argentina since 2001. The models being manufactured are XR, XRD, XS, XT and XTD. The diesel powered versions use the 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".

Engines

206 problems

Some serious problems have been reported with the UK version of the 206, and, in rare cases, symptoms such as engine cut outs have occurred at high speeds, which have then lead to other faults, such as the steering lock being engaged while the car is in motion. A group of 206 owners based in the United Kingdom came together online and formed a community named ["The Peugeot 206 Info Exchange"] to discuss problems they had experienced, coming up with solutions and helping other drivers with their knowledge. Recently, some British members managed to take on Peugeot on the BBC television programme Watchdog. Peugeot has since admitted that there may be some problems throughout the range but as of yet they have not been able to fully identify them.

Some of the problems concerning erratic tickovers and engine cutouts have been identified as problems with the engine's ECU; many owners have complained of the high costs that dealers charge for the replacement ECU however they can be bought at a resonable price online.

Some of these simple problems can be fixed by replacing the Sagem branded coil pack fitted on some production batches of cars.

Citroën version

In 2006, the 206 will be proposed 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 commercial name of this future Citroën model is not known yet.[link]

206 in rallying

Marcus Gronholm at Rally New Zealand 2003
Enlarge
Marcus Gronholm at Rally New Zealand 2003

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 driver's 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 driver's 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.

\"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 music was by Bhangra Knights.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
[media]
Peugeot — A marque of PSA Peugeot Citroën — timeline, 1950s-present [http://encycl.opentopia.com/ edit]
Type 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
City car 104 106 107
Supermini 203 204 205 206 207
Small family car 304 305 309 306 307 308
Large family car 403 404 405 406 407
Executive car 504 505
604 605 607
Leisure activity vehicle Partner
Mini MPV 1007
Large MPV 806 807
SUV P4 4007

 

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