Armand Peugeot, grandson of Jean-Pierre, fascinated by all things mechanical, led the company in its quest to produce its first motor vehicle.

In 1886, Armand introduced a concept bicycle that had a quite unique shape. This two-wheeled vehicle, which was named “Le Grand Bi”, was unique in that the front tires were bigger than the rear tires. Starting from that bicycle, Armand became interested in the wheeled vehicle industry, especially after he met Gottlieb Daimler who was the figure behind the creation of the first car, the Benz-Patent Motorwagen.

In 1889, Armand Peugeot assembled Peugeot’s first car, a steam car, with Leon Serpollet, which was followed by a Panhard-Daimler-engined car. He succeeded in making the Serpollet Peugeot, a three-wheeled steam-powered vehicle. The invention makes Peugeot the second oldest car manufacturer in the world and the oldest running car brand.

By the following year, Armand had abandoned steam in favor of gasoline and had built the first four-wheeler to be driven by gasoline, the Type 2 Quadricycle with a Daimler engine.

Thanks to the success of producing several cars and their participation in auto racing, finally in 1896, Peugeot started its work in the automotive world by establishing Automobiles Peugeot which produces bicycles and cars.

After more than 10 years of success in producing various types of vehicles, in 1912 Peugeot officially introduced its largest and surviving factory to date. The factory, which is located in the Sochaux region, France, is now also equipped with a Peugeot museum which displays the history of Peugeot’s journey along with a collection of old cars.

In 1929, Peugeot launched its first mass-produced car, the 201. It is the first Peugeot to use the iconic three-digit numbering system, with a zero in the middle, and marks the company’s journey from a small business to a mass manufacturer.