Peugeot 403

The 403 reveals the difficulty of asserting a new strong Peugeot “line”. Henri Thomas has been the head of Peugeot styling since its inception in 1931. The man runs the small entity almost single-handedly. Competition gives rise to emulation. Jean-Pierre Peugeot contacted Batista Farina, who already had a good reputation among car designers and was involved in the project. From a technical point of view, the 403 is directly derived from the 203, whose engine evolves to 8 hp. On the innovation side, the new Peugeot diesel engine is ready to equip the 403 and make it the first passenger car equipped with this engine in large series. These models become established in the French automotive landscape.
The brand manages to keep a very reasonable running cost, for a reliable and robust vehicle whose warranty costs are much lower than those of the competition.