( Worldcarfans ) - The all-time production record achieved by Peugeot with the 205, with 5,278,000 vehicles being produced between 1983 and 1998, has just been broken by the 206.
Launched in September 1998, the vehicle production total of the Peugeot 206 reached six million at the end of April. The six millionth 206 was a 206 S, equipped with a 1.6 litre petrol engine and rolled off the production line at the Wuhan site in China where it has been manufactured since January 2006 in its 5 door hatchback version.
Therefore, less than ten years after its commercial launch, the 206 has broken the 205 record, not only in terms of volume, but also in terms of time, since it took 191 months for the 205 to exceed the 5 million threshold and only 105 months for the 206 to reach six million vehicles, a difference of 7 years! The Peugeot 206: 84% exported
Of the 465,500 206 vehicles produced in 2006, 84% were sold outside France. At present, nearly 4.5 million 206 vehicles can be found on the roads of Western Europe, including 1,461,000 in France, 645,000 in the United Kingdom, 533,000 in Italy, 465,000 in Spain and 395,000 in Germany, to mention only the five main markets.
The high point of 206 sales was achieved in 2002 with a total of 845,300 registrations, bearing in mind that from 2001 to 2004 more than 800,000 vehicles were sold annually in nearly 150 countries around
In December 2000, Peugeot reinvented the concept of the coupe cabriolet accessible to all, with its 206 CC, of which nearly 370,000* models have been produced. In order of size, the main markets for this body shape are firstly Germany, with 93,100 units sold since 2000, accounting for more than 25% of all 206 Ccs placed on the market. This is followed by France (74,000), the United Kingdom (47,600), Italy (34,200) and Spain (17,500). It is of interest to note that Japan is the tenth most popular destination for the 206 CC, with 6,100 units sold by the end of February 2007.
June 2002 saw the appearance of the 206 SW, which quickly made its mark as the undisputed leader in the B2 segment for estates in France and Europe between 2002 and 2006, with a rate of penetration of 79% in the French estate sub-segment in 2006 and 31.5% in the European B2 estate market, also in 2006. With 366,000* models manufactured since its launch, the 206 SW has mainly been sold in France (101,300 registrations), the United Kingdom (36,500 vehicles), Italy (33,800 vehicles), Germany (32,700 vehicles) and Brazil (29,000 vehicles), bearing in mind that Japan is again one of the top ten destinations for this body shape, with 7,700 units sold.
Manufactured or assembled at the rate of 1,500 units per day at six sites around the world, including two in South America (Argentina and Brazil) and one in China (Wuhan), the 206 has for a long time perfectly illustrated the manufacturer's policy of variety, with the availability at the height of its career of six body shapes (3 and 5 door hatchbacks, SW, CC, RC and sedan).
The best selling diesel in its segment in France and Europe from 1999 to 2005, the 206 was also the first car in its segment to be equipped with a particle emissions filter ( 1.6 litre PF HDi diesel engine, launched in May 2004).