Who would have thought that in the same year that Peugeot's big news is the new 208, it would be relaunching the… 405 ? Yeah, 32 years after it was originally released, and 22 years after it stopped being sold in Europe, the Peugeot 405 has now been reborn in Azerbaijan.
It may seem crazy on the part of Peugeot to relaunch a model designed in the 80s, however, the numbers seem to give reason to the French brand. For despite its veteran status, in 2017, the Peugeot 405 (which was then produced in Iran) was “only” the… PSA Group's second best-selling model , with about 266,000 units!
The departure of the 405 to Azerbaijan comes after 32 years of uninterrupted production in Iran, where the company Pars Kodro produced the 405 selling it as Peugeot Pars, Peugeot Roa or under the IKCO brand. Now, Pars Kodro will ship the 405 in a kit to be assembled in Azerbaijan, where it will be called Peugeot Khazar 406 S.
In a team that wins, move… little
Despite having changed its name to the 406 S, don't be fooled, the model that Peugeot will produce together with the Khazar is actually a 405. Aesthetically, the changes are discreet and involve little more than a modernized front and a rear where the license plate moved from the bumper to the tailgate.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Inside, the Khazar 406 S received an updated dashboard but with a design close to that used by the 405 post-restyling. There we don't find any touchscreen or reversing camera, but we already have a CD/MP3 radio, automatic air conditioning, electric seats and some very unnecessary wooden imitations.
Available for 17 500 Azeri Manat (the currency of Azerbaijan), or about 9,000 euros , this authentic time machine comes equipped with two engines: a 1.8 l petrol engine with 100 hp (the XU7) and the other 1.6 l diesel with 105 hp (the TU5), both associated with an automatic transmission. In all, 10,000 units of the Khazar 406 S should be produced per year.