PAL Peugeot 309 | Only 1000 Were Built!

PAL is credited to be one of the two companies that laid down the foundation of the Indian automobile industry. The company started its operations back in the 1940s, even before the independence. PAL has been popularly known for the Padmini which ruled the taxi market way before Ola and Uber were incorporated. Then there was a lesser-known car from PAL too. The PAL Peugeot 309.

1994 – The PAL Peugeot 309 Sedan Is Here!

PAL started to import Peugeot’s 309 via CKD units in 1994 and assemble it at the Kalyan Plant of the company. The Peugeot 309’s production had already ended in Europe by the year 1992. This is one of the foremost reasons for the failure of the car. Bringing an outdated car to a market where the liberalisation has started. Companies like Maruti Suzuki were for sure going to crush their competition which means that there was a little chance for the 309 to lure customers.

Was it really that bad?

No, it was not bad at all though. The sedan was a sturdy one. There were many reasons to choose the PAL Peugeot 309 over the rivals. Let’s list them below.

• The 1.4-litre petrol engine capable of producing 70hp of power and a peak torque of 110Nm. Just to give you a hint, Maruti Esteem’s engine was capable of producing 65hp of power and 90Nm of torque. And Esteem was the arc rival.
• But the best part was the diesel engine. Peugeot’s 1.5-litre engine can be considered the best at that time. The mill used to produce 57hp of power and a peak torque of 97Nm. Diesel engines were not common at that time.

• The powerful air conditioning system, best-in-class at that time. No rivals were able to cool you down better than your PAL.
• The sedan was capable of covering 18kms in a single litre of diesel.
• The GLD model was equipped with power windows at the front and remote-controlled central locking as standard.

• The noise-free diesel engine was able to touch the top speeds of 145kmph.
• The PAL Peugeot 309 came with a corrosion-resistant body, a major reason that you might even find a mint condition 309 at present too.

• PAL’s sedan was not a very good looking one at the inside but yet was better when layout and quality are to be questioned.

Only a few negative points of the Peugeot 309

• The sedan was highly reliable but when it came to spare parts, they were hard to find.
• It had non-power steering, the struggle was real.
• The dashboard’s plastic was not able to withstand the Indian heat and used to swell up, though after a few years.
• An outdated design.

Have fun reading: 10 Immortal Cars That Are Still On the Roads | From Amby to Camry

But if it’s so good, they why only 1000 units?

Well, to that question, PAL is at guilty. The company started producing Fiat cars unethically which soured the relations between PAL and Peugeot. This led to the French company leaving the country and thus stopping the production of 309. The outgrowing labour and servicing issues added fuel to the fire.

It would have been great if Peugeot would have tried to enter the Indian market on its own. The cars from the carmaker are known for their build quality and power. But global automaker never seemed to be very interested in the Indian market. The abrupt ending to such a good sedan is proof that even good things can come to a bad end. In 2011, the karma hit Premier real hard when Peugeot bought it. Well, what goes around comes around, who better than PAL to ask.

Also read: Premier Padmini (Fiat 1100D): India’s Most Loved Family Car