Armand Peugeot (; 18 February 1849 – 4 February 1915) was an industrialist in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, pioneer of the
automobile
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...
industry and the man who transformed
Peugeot
Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis.
The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and the ...
into a manufacturer of bicycles and, later, of automobiles. He was accepted into the
Automotive Hall of Fame
The Automotive Hall of Fame is an American museum. It was founded in 1939 and has over 800 worldwide honorees. It is part of the MotorCities National Heritage Area. the Automotive Hall of Fame includes persons who have contributed greatly to au ...
in 1999.
Family
Born in 1849 into a Protestant family at
Herimoncourt, in eastern France,
Armand Peugeot was the son of Emile Peugeot and grandson of
Jean-Pierre Peugeot
Jean-Pierre or Jean Pierre may refer to:
People
* Karine Jean-Pierre b.1977, White House Deputy Press Secretary for President Joe Biden 2021-
* Jean-Pierre, Count of Montalivet (1766–1823), French statesman and Peer of France
* Eugenia Pierre ...
. The family had a metal working business, producing a range of practical goods such as springs, saws, spectacle frames and coffee grinders. In 1872, he married Sophie Leonie Fallot (1852–1930) and they had five children, but their only son, Raymond, died in 1896. Armand Peugeot died on 2 January 1915 in
Neuilly-sur-Seine
Neuilly-sur-Seine (; literally 'Neuilly on Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is a commune in the department of Hauts-de-Seine in France, just west of Paris. Immediately adjacent to the city, the area is composed of mostly select residentia ...
, near Paris.
Education
He was a graduate of the
École Centrale Paris
École Centrale Paris (ECP; also known as École Centrale or Centrale) was a French grande école in engineering and science. It was also known by its official name ''École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures''. In 2015, École Centrale Paris mer ...
, a prestigious engineering school in France. In 1881, Peugeot travelled to England where he saw the potential of bicycles and their manufacture.
Business
From 1865, Peugeot and his second cousin Eugène became involved with the running of the company, then called Peugeot Frères Aînés. They took it into cycle manufacture in 1882, and exhibited a steam-powered tricycle at the
1889 World Fair in Paris. They created their first car in their workhouse which is located in eastern France.
By 1892, the company name was Les Fils de Peugeot Frères, and they had begun to manufacture cars with
Daimler engines. Armand Peugeot wanted to increase production, but Eugène did not want to commit the company to the necessary investment. So, on 2 April 1896, Peugeot set up his own company, Société Anonyme des Automobiles Peugeot. He built a factory at
Audincourt
Audincourt () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France.
History
Audincourt belonged to the County of Montbéliard which became part of France in 1793, during the French Revolutionary Wars. ...
, dedicated to the manufacture of cars with an internal combustion engine.
In February 1910, without a male heir, he agreed to merge his company with Eugène’s. When he stepped down from managing the company in 1913, Peugeot were the largest car manufacturer in France, producing 10,000 cars per year.
References
External links
Virtual Museum of Protestantism: ''The Peugeot family''Franche-Comté region
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peugeot, Armand
1849 births
1915 deaths
Peugeot people
French automotive pioneers
École Centrale Paris alumni
French founders of automobile manufacturers
Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery
People from Doubs