1989: Peugeot 405 poised to rule American roads

and remains in production in Iran
The 405 was a good-looking car, but most North American car buyers were afraid of the Peugeot brand by the time it arrived.

Peugeot worked hard to become a mainstream car brand in the United States during the 1960s onward, but Americans never warmed to French cars the way Europeans and Africans did. 404s, 504s and, later, 505s moved out of Peugeot showrooms over here, but in decreasing numbers (the 604 might as well have never existed). The final model that Peugeot attempted to sell over here, prior to leaving the country in 1991, was the 405, a modern front-wheel-drive sedan that competed for sales against the likes of the Saab 900 and Audi 80. 1989 was the first model year for the U.S.-market 405, and here's a full-page magazine advertisement from that year, touting the car's domination of the 1988 European Car of the Year votes.

Comes with AAA!


Just a few thousand 405s (and 505s) were sold to American buyers during the 1990-91 period, despite being pleasant-driving cars packed with modern technology, and that was all she wrote for Peugeot USA … until just recently. Production of 405-based vehicles continues to this day, however, in Iran, where 1960s Hillman Hunter technology merges with 1980s Peugeot design.


The 504 was built for more years than the 405, thanks to Nigerian production that ran until 2006, but the 405 will surpass that mark if Iran Khodro keeps building 405s through 2025. We'll see.

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