Armand Peugeot
Armand Peugeot (March 26, 1849 – January 2, 1915) was an industrialist, pioneer of the automobile industry, and founder of the French company Peugeot.
Family
Armand Peugeot was born on March 26, 1849, in Hérimoncourt (Montbéliard District), in eastern France.[1] He was the son of Émile Peugeot (1815–1874) and Wilhelmine Ehrmann (1818–1893). The family owned a metallurgy business that produced a variety of practical products such as springs, saws, eyeglass frames, and coffee grinders. In 1872, he married Sophie Leonie Fallot (1852–1930), and they had five children, but their only son, Raymond, passed away in 1896. Armand Peugeot died on January 2, 1915, in Neuilly-sur-Seine (Paris).
Education
In 1881, Armand attended a training course at a company in Leeds, England. This experience convinced him of the future of mechanical transportation and inspired him to expand that area of the family business. In 1895, he graduated from the École Centrale Paris, an engineering school in Paris.
Business
From 1865, Armand and his cousin Eugène were involved in managing the company, then known as Peugeot Frères Aînés. In 1882, they began manufacturing bicycles and showcased a steam-powered tricycle at the 1889 Paris Universal Exposition.[1]
By 1892, the company was called Les Fils de Peugeot Frères, and they had begun producing cars equipped with Daimler engines. Armand wanted to increase production, but Eugène was unwilling to commit to the necessary investments. Therefore, on April 2, 1896, Armand founded his own company, Société Anonyme des Automobiles Peugeot. He built a factory in Audincourt (Montbéliard), dedicated to producing automobiles with internal combustion engines.
In February 1910, lacking a male heir, he agreed to merge his company with that of Eugène. When he stepped down from management in 1913, Peugeot was the largest car manufacturer in France, producing 10,000 cars per year.