From concept car to production RCZ
While the launch of the 308 (September 2007) has just been made, Peugeot announces the arrival of a concept car, 308 RC Z derived from this new compact sedan. They will be both presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show. This concept car is designed by designers Boris Reinmöller, Jérôme Gallix and Gérard Welter.
In March 2008, at the Geneva Motor Show where it was presented again, Peugeot announced the marketing of the RCZ thanks to the enthusiasm of the public and the press. The production version will be presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2009. The number 308 is not kept in order to avoid confusion with the sedan version. Their initials will simply be three letters RCZ.
The coupe thus becomes the only model of the brand not to be named with a number, apart from the utility vehicles. This version, compared to the concept car, is almost identical. During this same show Peugeot presents also, the RCZ “Limited Edition”, a limited pre-production series produced in only 200 units. All the cars in this limited series are going to be snapped up. All were pre-ordered in just two days during this show. Orders will open on November 16, 2009 for production models. Production will begin at the end of 2009. The first customers are delivered on April 22, 2010 and sales in dealerships in spring 2010.
The RCZ is from Peugeot, the first “modern” sports car with a 2-door coupe body in 2+2 seats. The 308 RC Z concept car and the production versions are manufactured in the workshops of the Austrian company Magna Steyr in Graz.
Restyling and launch of phase 2
The Paris Motor Show in September 2012 is an opportunity to present the restyling of the RCZl. The front optics, grille, LED daytime running lights and air grille have been changed. Two new paints are available for the bodywork: Guaranja Brown and Eritrea Red. For the arches, three colors are available (aluminum, copper and lacquered or matt black), three styles for the stickers as well as ten types of alloy rims including two new ones. In the passenger compartment, the finish is more careful for better visual quality with leather upholstery, leather inserts on the door panels, aluminum inserts on the junction of the dashboard with the central console and a dashboard. black lacquered gear lever. Buyers also have a wide choice of customization. In terms of engine, it retains the same gasoline engines as on the 2010 generation but with a modification of the chain tensioner which was a source of problem on certain engines. The 2.0 HDI Diesel engine (163 horsepower) is modified and goes from 320 to 340 N m of torque. It is also presented alongside the new sports version, the RCZ R Concept.
After the presentation of the RCZ R Concept in September 2012, it was the turn of the production version to be officially unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July 2013. A new exhibition took place at the Motor Show in Frankfurt in September 2013 and marketing of the model will begin at the beginning of 2014.
Stopping production
In June 2011, Peugeot announced the manufacture of its 30,000th model of the RCZ and its marketing in nearly 80 countries. Unsurprisingly, it is in Europe that it sells best with 7,337 models sold in France, 4,070 in Great Britain and 3,614 in Germany. It is then ahead of the Audi TT (excluding convertible), its main rival.
Despite declining results for the PSA group, Peugeot produced the 50,000th unit of its RCZ coupe on February 14, 2013.
It was in Shanghai, in April 2015, during the motor show, that Maxime Picat, director of the Peugeot brand, recognized as part of the rationalization of the catalog a “niche hunt” in order to get the best out of the models. from the 108 to the top of the range rather than spending energy on particular niche models.
Production of the 156 THP 156 model will be stopped in May 2015 and at the beginning of summer, the HDI diesel version will follow the same fate. The 200 THP 200 models and the RCZ R remain in production until September 18, 2015, the date on which the very last Peugeot RCZ rolled off the lines at the Magna Steyr factory. A total of more than 67,915 examples, including 3054 R, were manufactured over six years.