The 20 millionth Peugeot manufactured at the Sochaux Plant rolls off the production line

2010 Peugeot 5008

PARIS : December 13, 2010 - In the company's bicentenary year, the 20 millionth Peugeot manufactured at the historic Sochaux plant rolls off the production line, with the honour going to a white 5008. Together with the 3008 and the 308, this vehicle symbolises the sustained level of activity which the site is currently experiencing. Sochaux produces 1,765 vehicles daily, 734 "308s", 651 "3008s" and 380 "5008s"; it should end the year having produced 360,000 vehicles, with next year's output forecast to reach 400,000. An activity driven to a large degree by the commercial success enjoyed by the 3008 and 5008, which remain leaders on their segments.


A site with a prestigious past

The Peugeot story began two centuries ago less than ten kilometres from Sochaux, in the town of Hérimoncourt. The first cars produced by Armand Peugeot, as early as 1889, were assembled a short distance from Sochaux, in the villages of Beaulieu, Audincourt and Valentigney. In May, Peugeot celebrated this anniversary there in the company of over 2,000 collectors. In 1912, the company bought land in Sochaux to host its entire car production activity.

However, the first fruit of mass production at Sochaux were in fact trucks followed by shells for World War One. It was only in 1921 that Sochaux became associated with car production, via the type 156 and not until 1930 that the site produced the 1st best-seller for the marque, the Peugeot 201 (over 90,000 units through until 1937). The subsequent history of this site echoes that of the French car industry after the war, with just under 700,000 "203s" produced between 1948 and 1960, 1.2 million "403s", 2.8 million "404s" and 3.7 million "504s". More recently, Sochaux produced the 3 millionth 307. In 2008, the site also had the honour of manufacturing the 50 millionth Peugeot vehicle (all production sites combined), a 308 SW.

Sochaux, a long-term commitment…

The biggest manufacturing facility in France with 11,800 employees, Peugeot Citroën Sochaux operates on the basis of five working teams including a night shift and is currently hiring 500 operatives on permanent contracts. The site also hosts a quarter of R&D staff working for the PSA Peugeot Citroën group and is preparing, in the utmost secrecy, numerous projects for Peugeot and Citroën vehicles which will allow Sochaux to scale new heights production wise.

[Source : Auto Channel]