Peugeot 309
A Talbot-born hatchback that became Peugeot's first in its class.
The Peugeot 309, a small family car, rolled off assembly lines in France, England, and Spain from 1985 to 1994 under PSA Peugeot Citroën. Its development began as a project for the Talbot brand, with the working name Talbot Arizona, but PSA decided to phase out Talbot passenger cars and market it as a Peugeot instead. It took over from the Talbot Horizon, and marked Peugeot’s first hatchback in this size class.
The car’s roots lay in the former Chrysler/Simca side of PSA, which handled its engineering at the Poissy site in France, while styling came from the old Chrysler-Rootes design studios in Coventry. PSA management insisted on using existing parts wherever possible, so the 309 borrowed a stretched Peugeot 205 floorpan and door shells, plus Simca engines and transmissions from the Horizon. Its aerodynamic shape was previewed by Peugeot’s VERA Plus study from 1982 and the VERA Profil from 1985, features that later appeared on other Peugeot models.
Production began at the former Simca plant in Poissy in late summer 1985, with French customers receiving cars that October. Right-hand-drive models were built at the Ryton plant near Coventry, previously owned by Rootes and Chrysler Europe, with the first British-market car leaving the line in October 1985 and sales starting in early 1986. Initially, only a five-door hatchback was offered.
The 309’s model number skipped the expected “306” (which arrived in 1993) to distance it from the larger 305 and reflect its Simca heritage. Its styling, often considered awkward next to the 205 and 405, resulted from reusing the 205’s door shells and from the fact that it was designed in-house, unlike other Peugeots of the era which were styled by Pininfarina. The notched hatchback shape unintentionally resembled the Dodge Shadow and Plymouth Sundance, cars developed separately to replace the Horizon in North America.
The UK engine lineup at launch included Simca-derived 1118 cc and 1294 cc overhead-valve petrol units from the Horizon, plus Peugeot’s 1580 cc and 1905 cc belt-driven overhead-cam XU engines. Spanish-built cars used 1442 cc and 1592 cc “Poissy engines” from the Simca 1307, Solara, and Horizon, instead of the 1580 cc OHC.
Quick Facts
- Manufacturer
- Peugeot
- Production
- 1985–1994 / 1995–1997 (India)
- Engine
- Petrol: · 1118 cc E1A OHV I4 · 1124 cc TU1 I4 · 1294 cc G1A I4 · 1360 cc TU3 I4 · 1580 cc XU5 I4 · 1905 cc XU9 I4 · Diesel: · 1769 cc XUD7 I4 · 1769 cc XUD7 turbodiesel I4 · 1905 cc XUD9 I4
- Transmission
- 4-speed manual · 5-speed manual · 3-speed automatic · 4-speed ZF 4HP14 automatic
- Layout
- FF layout
- Related
- Peugeot 205
- Predecessor
- Chrysler-Talbot Horizon / Peugeot 305
- Successor
- Peugeot 306
- Class
- Small family car (C)
- Wheelbase
- 2470 mm
- Length
- 4050 mm
- Height
- 1380 mm
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The 309 was conceived as Projet C28 to replace the Talbot Horizon, with development by the former Chrysler/Simca wing of PSA. Styling came from the former Chrysler-Rootes design studios in Coventry, while engineering was done at the Simca site in Poissy. PSA management required use of existing architecture, so the 309 used a stretched Peugeot 205 floorpan and door shells, with Simca engines and transmissions from the Horizon. The design was presaged by the 1982 Peugeot VERA Plus aerodynamic studies. Production in France began at the former Simca plant in Poissy in late summer 1985, with first French customers receiving cars in October 1985. Right-hand drive models were built at the Ryton plant near Coventry, formerly owned by Rootes Group and Chrysler Europe; the first British-market 309 rolled off the line in October 1985, with sales starting in early 1986. The only bodywork initially was the five-door hatchback. The model number 309 was chosen to distance it from the larger 305 and reflect its Simca origins. The 309's slightly awkward styling, especially compared to the 205 and 405, resulted from reusing 205 door shells and its original Talbot design. The notched hatchback bears unintentional similarity to the Dodge Shadow and Plymouth Sundance. A facelift in summer 1989 revised the rear design, lowered the boot lip, changed rear lights to a smoked style, altered the front grille, and introduced an updated interior to address criticisms of the Talbot-designed multi-piece dashboard. A modified BE3 gearbox was introduced, placing reverse behind fifth gear. Peugeot gradually phased in TU series engines, replacing Simca units during 1992. The GTi 16 model, with the XU9J4 engine from the 405 Mi16, was introduced at this time but sold only in mainland Europe.
Reader's Guide
The Peugeot 309 holds significance as the first Peugeot-badged hatchback of its size and as a transitional model that marked the end of the Talbot brand on passenger cars. Its development by the former Chrysler/Simca wing and use of stretched 205 architecture reflected PSA's strategy of maximizing existing components. The 309 became popular in the United Kingdom, partly due to its British origins and assembly at Ryton. It was joined on the Ryton production line by the larger 405 in 1987. The 309's successor, the 306, and later the 206 were also built at Ryton until the plant closed in December 2006. Production wound down toward the end of 1992 in anticipation of the 306 launch; by July 1993 only two Vital models remained until December. A total of 1,635,132 Peugeot 309s were built between 1985 and 1993, including 18,262 GTi models and 5,896 GTi 16s. In India, Premier Automobiles Limited began local assembly of the 309 in 1995, offering petrol and later diesel engines, but the partnership ended in November 1997 with sales continuing into 1998. As of 2018, only 481 Peugeot 309s remained on UK roads, with another 1,378 registered as SORN. By September 2022, 41 GTi models remained on UK roads, with 313 registered as SORN.
Did You Know?
- The 309 was originally intended to be called the Talbot Arizona.
- In India, Premier Automobiles Limited assembled the 309 from 1995, using a 1527 cc TUD5 diesel engine instead of the European XUD units.
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