Peugeot 405: the French saloon Iran Khodro built for 29 years

The Peugeot 405 is a large family car designed by Pininfarina and voted European Car of the Year for 1988 by the largest number of votes in the history of the contest. Peugeot built it from 1987 to 1997, but production continued under licence outside Europe, and Iran Khodro made the car until 2020.

Iran Khodro Peugeot 405 at a glance

This page is based on English Wikipedia only, so the details could not be cross-checked against a second source.

History of the Iran Khodro Peugeot 405

Launch and European success

In July 1987 Peugeot unveiled ten versions of the 405 saloon at once for the 1988 model year. Sales on the continent began in October 1987 and in the United Kingdom in January 1988. The car succeeded the long-running Peugeot 305, and also the Chrysler Alpine hatchback and Solara saloon, which had been discontinued when the Talbot brand was axed a year earlier. Estate sales began in May 1988, although the British market did not receive them until October 1988. Right-hand-drive cars were built at the former Rootes/Chrysler plant at Ryton near Coventry, left-hand-drive cars at Sochaux in France.

Engines and updates

Four-cylinder petrol engines from 1.4 to 1.9 litres and 65 to 160 hp were available, and in 1988 naturally aspirated 1.9 and turbocharged 1.8 diesel engines joined the range. The 500,000th 405 was produced during 1989, followed by the one millionth car to leave Sochaux in 1990, when the BE1 transmission was replaced by the BE3. In 1991 the dashboard, steering wheel and soundproofing were updated, and for 1992 the Phase II model arrived with a new boot, new rear lights and a new dashboard; production had reached over 1,500,000 by then. An airbag had been available since 1994 and was standard on left-hand-drive Mi16 and T16 cars.

The end in Europe, and a long life in Iran

In the autumn of 1995 the 405’s replacement, the 406, was introduced and the 405 saloon was discontinued. At the beginning of 1997 the estate version of the 406 was launched, marking the end of European 405 production after ten years. Elsewhere the car lived on. Iran Khodro produced the 405 from 1991 to 2020, a run of 29 years at the Tehran factory, and in early 2020 the 33-year production run of the model was counted as the twentieth most long-lived single generation car in history. The 405 has also been built in Zimbabwe, Egypt, Chile, Argentina, Poland, Taiwan and Thailand, and by Khazar Iran Khodro in Azerbaijan since 2019.

Design and engineering

The 405 was styled by Pininfarina, and its appearance is similar to that of the Alfa Romeo 164, launched the same year and also styled by Pininfarina. While it shares its floorpan with the Citroën BX, it does not have that car’s hydropneumatic suspension, except on the rear axle of the 4×4 versions, the SRix4, Mi16x4 and T16. As with the BX, the 405 used TU and XU petrol engines and XUD diesels. It was the last Peugeot sold in the United States, on sale there between 1988 and 1991, including the Mi16. No coupé was ever offered: only two examples of the purpose-built two-door 405 Turbo 16 were made, not to be confused with the 405 T16.

Design and features

• Pininfarina styling: a shape related to the Alfa Romeo 164 of the same year, with a low drag coefficient of Cd 0.29 on the 1.6 saloon.
• Sharp handling: the range included four-wheel-drive versions, the SRix4, Mi16x4 and T16.
• Mi16: the 16-valve 1.9 litre model produced 160 hp and reached 220 km/h.
• Wide range: petrol engines from 1.4 to 1.9 litres and both naturally aspirated and turbocharged diesels.
• Long production: 33 years in total, with Iran Khodro building the car from 1991 to 2020.

Iran Khodro Peugeot 405 versions

• 405 saloon (1987): the original ten-version range launched for 1988.
• 405 estate (1988): the load-carrying body, added in May 1988.
• Mi16: the 160 hp 16-valve sporting saloon with a 220 km/h top speed.
• Phase II (1992): the facelift with a new boot, rear lights and dashboard.
• 405 T16 and Turbo 16: four-wheel-drive and purpose-built competition cars; only two two-door Turbo 16s were made.
• Iran Khodro 405 (1991–2020): the Iranian-built car, produced for 29 years after European assembly ended.

Iran Khodro used the 405 platform for its own Samand, and the company’s earlier model was the Paykan. More cars are in the Iran Khodro collection.

Sources

• Peugeot 405, English Wikipedia: development, versions, production, Iranian assembly