|
Peugeot 207 CC
?
The recent Frankfurt auto show highlighted a number of
European manufacturers and, as always, there were a number of concept cars on
display, some of which will become production realities; others most certainly
will not. One that looks likely is the Peugeot 308 RC, a stylish coupe and which
looks as though it is not far from launch.? Already Peugeot has introduced a
four- and five-door 308; a coupe would be a logical addition to the range.
Closer to home, earlier this year, Peugeot announced its
intention to import the little 207 hatchback into Thailand in CBU (completely
built-up) form.? This, the company says, is to give people who want to change
from large executive cars to a more compact model, the opportunity without
incurring vast expense.
?
With a choice of gasoline or diesel engines, both of 1.6
liters, the 207 is the natural successor to the hugely popular 206, which at its
height was running round-the-clock shifts to meet global demand. More than five
million of the 206 were made over the eight years of production.
The gasoline engine was developed jointly by PSA Peugeot
Citroen and BMW, an association says Peugeot that will ?develop engines equipped
with innovative technologies that offer a high level of performance, while
meeting the cost constraints imposed on vehicles in the small car segment of the
market?.? The diesel motor is pure Peugeot while all engines are produced at the
PSA Peugeot Citroen plant at Douvrin in France. Depending on engine fitted,
performance is brisk without being startling, with a maximum speed of around 195
km/h and a 0-100 km/h time of roughly ten seconds. Safety, as you would expect
of a European manufacturer, is of the highest level and all models are fitted
with disc brakes all round ? ventilated at the front ? ABS and electronic
brake-force distribution (EBD), while options include stability control and
traction control systems.
In the stringent Euro NCAP crash tests, the 207 received
the maximum five stars for adult protection.? The dual front-impact energy
dissipation channel ? a principle borrowed from the larger 407 ? has the
advantage of distributing force more efficiently between an upper channel and a
lower one, thereby preserving the integrity of the passenger compartment more
effectively.? Often, passenger safety is at the expense of pedestrian safety.?
The 207, though, comes with a pedestrian bar incorporated into the lower
channel, a ?soft nose? and a hood constructed with a certain degree of
structural flexibility, placed at a distance from potentially harmful mechanical
components.? The little Peugeot gained three stars for protection of pedestrians
There is an additional small Peugeot, the 207 CC ?
convertible-coupe ? which is also now available in Thailand.?
It was in the 1930s that Peugeot introduced the idea of a
coupe-cabriolet with the 401 Eclipse.? In 2000, the company launched the 206 CC,
now followed by the 207.? The folding roof was designed entirely in-house,
unlike many rivals that use industry experts such as Karmann or Pininfarina.?
The roof is assembled on a dedicated production line in Madrid.
Developed from its predecessor, the 206 CC, the operation
of the 207 roof differs significantly with an entirely automatic operation.? The
only manual operation consists of pressing a control button for around 25
seconds, during which all four windows are lowered automatically, before the
roof drops into the trunk.
Peugeot goes back as far as 1810 when the Peugeot brothers
created a company with a steel foundry.? It was several decades later, in 1889,
that the first automobile bearing the Peugeot name appeared and by 1892 the
company was producing cars, albeit in small numbers.? By 1900 annual production
had reached 500 autos.? These days, PSA Peugeot Citroen is Europe?s second
largest automaker (after Volkswagen Group).
The 206 CC is now available in Thailand. For more
information, go to
www.peugeot-th.com
|
