The Peugeot 405 is a large family car

Large family car

A large family car, also known as a D-segment car, is a European automobile classification which is larger than a small family car and smaller than an executive car. Multi-purpose vehicles based on a large family car design are often called large MPVs, while similarly-priced models from luxury car...

 released by the French automaker

Automaker

The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....

 Peugeot

Peugeot

Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...

 in July 1987 and which continues to be manufactured under licence outside France. It used TU

PSA TU engine

The PSA TU engine is a family of small four-cylinder engines used in the Peugeot and Citroën range of cars. It was introduced in 1986 with the Citroën AX, replacing the X family, although it shared many components with its predecessor...

/XU

PSA XU engine

The PSA XU is a family of internal combustion engines used in Citroën and Peugeot automobiles. This family is best known as the engine of the Peugeot 305....

 petrol and XUD

PSA XUD

The PSA XUD is a Diesel engine designed and built by PSA - Peugeot and Citroën. It is an Indirect Injection engine, that uses a version of the Ricardo Consulting Engineers Ricardo Comet prechamber cylinder head design. The engine comes in 1769cc 1.8 N/A, 1.8 Turbo, 1905cc 1.9 N/A, 1.9 Turbo, 2.1...

 diesel engines.

The 405 featured Pininfarina

Pininfarina

Pininfarina S.p.A. is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder in Cambiano, Italy.Founded as Società anonima Carrozzeria Pinin Farina in 1930 by automobile designer and builder Battista "Pinin" Farina, Pininfarina has been employed by a wide variety of high-end automobile manufacturers,...

 styling, characterized by good ride and handling. The 405 was voted European Car of the Year

European Car of the Year

The European Car of the Year award was established in 1964 by a collective of automobile magazines from different countries in Europe. The current organisers of the award are Auto , Autocar , Autopista , Autovisie , L'Automobile Magazine , Stern and Vi Bilägare .The voting jury consists of motoring...

 for 1988 by the largest number of votes in the history of the contest. About 2.5 million vehicles have been sold worldwide in left-hand and right-hand-drive versions, as a berline (saloon) and break (station wagon).