Iran Khodro Unveils an Old Peugeot Model Again

Iran Khodro has unveiled the Peugeot 206 sedan plus, now named Peugeot 207 sedan in Iran. This vehicle's rear is even older than the models produced in Brazil, as it uses the exact rear of the 206 sedan. The Peugeot produced in Iran under the name Peugeot 207i is actually a facelifted version of the Peugeot 206, which is marketed worldwide as Peugeot 206 plus, and the production of this product has faced numerous criticisms in the past. This product was produced in Brazil in 2008, and the following year, it was produced in Iran under the name Peugeot 207, which is the successor to the Peugeot 206. At the beginning of production, Peugeot was criticized for allegedly covering up Iran Khodro's deception for the sake of profit. Osta Goudarzi, a former professor at the Automotive Engineering Faculty of the University of Science and Technology, is among those who claim this vehicle is the same as the 206 plus. Mr. Goudarzi told 'Eghtesad News' that 'the Peugeot 207i produced in Iran is different from the Peugeot 207 available in European markets and is essentially the same as the 206 plus. The technology level of the Peugeot 207i is lower than that of the Peugeot 207, and this vehicle is indeed the 206 plus. The platform of the Peugeot 207i is the same as that of the 206, and only part of its body has changed to resemble the 207.' After the introduction of the Peugeot 206 plus for developing countries, Peugeot also offered this vehicle in a sedan version instead of the Peugeot 207. Iran Khodro has not even made these changes in its newly unveiled model and has offered this vehicle with the same trunk as the Peugeot 206 sedan. The magazine 'Machine,' one of the oldest automotive magazines in Iran, wrote about this, stating, 'Iran Khodro has finally unveiled the 207 SD, but the 207 SD or 206 plus sedan is actually a facelifted version of the 206 introduced several years ago, and now Iran Khodro has introduced this model, as per its usual habit, with the bumper and rear license plate light frame of the 206 SD and has not even bothered to change the rear bumper to a new design.' However, Iran Khodro announced that over 50 billion tomans were spent on the changes made to this model. Keyvan Vaziri, the deputy of product design and development at Iran Khodro, stated, 'The volume of investment made in the production of the Peugeot 207i sedan amounts to 500 billion rials. Given this investment, the price of this product will be three to four million tomans higher than the price of the Peugeot 206 Type 5.' He mentioned that some new parts in the design process of the Peugeot 207 sedan include body parts, new rear lights, a new rear bumper, and foldable side mirrors. Despite these statements, it is unclear what Iran Khodro spent 50 billion tomans on in design, as the front of this vehicle is the Peugeot 206 plus produced in Iran under the name Peugeot 207i, and its rear is also the Peugeot 206 sedan. The technical specifications of this vehicle are entirely similar to the Peugeot 206 sedan. Additionally, the cabin of the 207i sedan, which Iran Khodro has introduced as a new vehicle, is completely similar to the 207i hatchback produced by this company. It seems that Iran Khodro, unlike the Peugeot 206 plus produced in Brazil, was not even willing to make minor changes to the trunk of this vehicle. Iran Khodro has had to use the rear bumper of the 206 sedan in the 207i sedan because it did not change the body molds of the 206 sedan and used the same molds for the 207i sedan, as the main bumper does not align with the rear fender shape of the 206 sedan.