The Peugeot family come from eastern France and inhabited those areas since the 15th century. They dealt with, among others weaving and milling. In 1810, Jean-Pierre and Jean-Fraderic Peugeots founded a foundry and a band saw production plant. This is how Peugeot Freres was founded in 1812, which gradually expanded its range and produces, among others knives, coffee grinders and sewing machines.
In 1850, the lion's logo appeared for the first time, but it did not resemble the current one. A few years later it was registered with the brand. The lion on cars of this brand has deep roots. It comes from the birthplace of the founders. At the beginning, the animal symbolized three features of the saws produced by the company: the strength of their teeth, blade flexibility and cutting speed.
An important moment for the company is 1885, when the grandson of the founder Armand and his cousin Eugen start producing bicycles. Armand Peugeot, however, quickly decides that the company should deal with the production of automobiles. The first Peugeot car is considered to be a vehicle from 1891 with a Daimler 3.5 HP engine. In 1903 the first motorcycle was created, and in 1912 the first truck.
After World War I, the production of cars began and systematically increased. In 1929, the Peugeot 201 maked its debut. It is important, because it was the beginning of a series of cars with a three-digit marking with zero in the middle. It is worth adding that two years later Peugeot vehicles were the first mass-produced cars to be equipped with independent wheel suspension. A few years later, the 402 enters the market, which attracted attention with spotlights located behind the radiator grille. He was driven by a two-liter engine with 55 hp, but its production was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II.
The first post-war Peugeot car was 203. This car was recorded in the history of the automotive industry, because in 1953 Andre Mercier drove this car from Paris to Cape Town, that is 15,000 km. It took 17 days for this, and the 203 with a 1.3-liter engine, after full tanking, drove 900 km.
Peugeot models in the following years: