Peugeot 504 History
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1963 – 2006

A 43-Year Story

From the first design studies in 1963 to the last car off the Nigerian line in 2006 — the complete history of one of history's greatest automobiles.

3.7M
Total units built
38
Years in production
222,000
Peak year (1973)
2006
Last unit built (Nigeria)

Chronology

Timeline 1963–2006

Development (1963–1968)
1963 Design studies begin under Maurice Jordan. Competition between Pininfarina (Turin) and Peugeot's internal team (Paul Bouvot, Gérard Welter, Jean-Pierre Prodeau).
1965 Peugeot 204 introduced — sets the new Peugeot design direction.
Sept 12
1968 Official launch of the Peugeot 504 sedan. Delayed from the planned June date by the May 1968 social unrest that shut down the Sochaux factory.
The Rising Star (1969–1973)
1969 504 wins the European Car of the Year — 119 points, 42 ahead of the BMW 2500/2800. Peugeot's first COTY award.
1969 504 sedan is Peugeot's 5 millionth vehicle produced.
Mar 1969 Coupé and Cabriolet revealed at the Geneva Salon. Both designed by Franco Martinengo at Pininfarina.
1969 Argentine production begins (SAFRAR).
1970 Break and Familiale enter production. South Africa assembly begins.
1971 XN 2.0L petrol introduced — replaces XM 1.8L in most applications.
1973 Production record: 222,000 units in a single year. The 504's peak European year.
1973 "Light" version introduced — 504 L. Simplified spec, rigid rear axle, drum brakes, responding to the oil crisis.
The V6 Era & Rally Glory (1974–1979)
1974 PRV V6 introduced in Coupé and Cabriolet — 136 PS.
1975 Historic treble: Safari Rally (Ove Andersson), Rallye du Maroc (Hannu Mikkola / Jean Todt), and Rallye Bandama — three major African rallies in one season.
1975 504 diesel accounts for 65% of all diesel car sales in France. Nigeria assembly begins (PAN, Kaduna). Kenya assembly begins.
1976 Rallye du Maroc and Bandama Rally wins. Jean-Pierre Nicolas / Michel Gamet, Morocco.
1977 V6 Coupé gains 5-speed gearbox and Bosch K-Jetronic injection (144 PS). V6 Cabriolet discontinued. Oct: 2.0L reintroduced in Coupé.
1978 Safari Rally victory — Jean-Pierre Nicolas / Jean-Claude Lefèbvre in a V6 Coupé. Nicolas also wins Bandama Rally.
1979 Sevel takes over from SAFRAR in Argentina. Tour du Maghreb win.
Wind-Down & World Legacy (1980–2006)
1980 504 Pickup introduced in Europe. Argentina launches pickup. Rally Zaïre wins (1980 and 1981).
1981 Dangel 4×4 Pickup introduced — Peugeot's first-ever 4×4 vehicle. Rally Kenya win.
1983 European production of sedan, coupé, and cabriolet ends.
1985 South Africa assembly ends (Sigma merges with Ford to form Samcor).
1991 Argentina: major restyling — new front/rear design and revised interior.
1993 European Pickup production ends. Dangel 4×4 discontinued 1994.
1999–2000 Argentina sedan production ends — final sales 2000. ~500,000 total units.
2004 Kenya production ends — 27,000 total units.
2006 The last Peugeot 504 leaves the Nigerian assembly line in Kaduna. 425,000 Nigerian units. 38 years after European launch. Total global production: 3,713,356 units.

European Car of the Year 1969

The Award That Defined an Era

The 504 won the 1969 European Car of the Year award — Peugeot's first COTY win. It came in the car's first full year of availability (launched September 1968), making it especially rapid recognition. The award validated what had been a somewhat cautious market debut.

PositionCarPoints
🥇 1st Peugeot 504 119
2nd BMW 2500/2800 77
3rd Alfa Romeo 1750 76

The 504 won by a 42-point margin over the BMW. The jury praised it as "a large family car which offered a high standard of interior comfort and build quality."

Styling
Build quality
Chassis
Ride comfort
Visibility
Engine refinement

Context: Neighbouring COTY Winners

1968 COTY: NSU Ro 80 (197 pts) · 1970 COTY: Fiat 128 (235 pts)

Numbers

Production Figures

By Market

MarketAssemblyYearsUnits
France (Sochaux) Domestic 1968–1983 3,000,000+ (European)
Nigeria (PAN) Local assembly 1975–2006 425,000
Argentina (SAFRAR/Sevel) Local assembly 1969–2000 ~500,000
Kenya Local assembly 1975–2004 27,000
Spain Local assembly 1977–1980 not confirmed
South Africa Local assembly 1970–1985 not confirmed
China (Guangzhou) Local assembly 1989–1997 not confirmed
TOTAL GLOBAL 1968–2006 3,713,356

Two-Door Production Breakdown

VariantUnits
Coupé 4-cyl manual14,583
Coupé 4-cyl automatic2,163
Coupé V6 carburetted4,472
Coupé V6 injection1,157
Cabriolet 4-cyl (Series 1)5,848
Cabriolet 4-cyl (Series 2)1,071
Cabriolet 4-cyl automatic292
Cabriolet V6977
Total two-door~31,163

Peak Production Year

1973: 222,000 units produced — the highest annual production in the 504's history. The same year the oil crisis prompted the introduction of the simplified 504 L variant.