Based "on the principles of the Peugeot 504", Autocar, November 1977, p. 17 using its bulkhead, Motor, 6 December 1975, p. 2 doors, and part of the 504 floorpan, and usually powered by the then-new 144 horsepower 2.7-litre V6 PRV engine, developed in conjunction with Renault and Volvo, the car was Peugeot's first entry into the large luxury saloon market for 40 years - the most recent being the short-lived Peugeot 601 of 1934.