that engine. Sales projections Chrysler Corporation approved the development of the model on the assumption that Chrysler Europe would sell 60,000 C9 models per year, which translated into a projected 5 percent share of the executive car market. This estimate seemed achievable because Chrysler had a 7 percent market share in Europe overall. The projected sales would have covered the car's tooling costs, with the development costs accounted for separately, as part of an independent annual budget. PSA takeover During the development of the C9, the management of the bankruptcy-threatened Chrysler Corporation decided to divest itself of its debt-ridden European operations. The buyer was the French PSA Group, formed in 1976 after Peugeot took over Citroën. The deal was finalised in 1978, in which the buyer paid US$1.00 for the entirety of Chrysler Europe and its obligations. The take-over was effective as of 1 January 1979. While the C9 project was well advanced, PSA already had a crowded lineup in the large vehicle segment, including the renowned Citroën CX, the slow-selling Peugeot 604 and the newly launched Peugeot 505. But with so much having already been invested in the project, PSA decided to press ahead and complete the development of C9, albeit with modifications to allow the use of shared parts with other PSA models. The Simca double wishbone front suspension gave way to MacPherson struts adopted from the Peugeot 505 and 604, and the rear axle was replaced with that of the 505, much narrower than the one originally planned, as it was designed with respect to the 505 body width. The C9 front end was extended to accommodate the optional PRV engine: now that the model belonged to PSA, using the PRV presented no problems. Short market life Following the renaming of Chrysler Europe's models to the Talbot marque, the C9 was christened the Talbot Tagora, and the first batch of cars rolled out of the former Simca plant in Poissy in 1980. The same year, PSA presented the Tagora at the Salon de l'Automobile in Paris. Following a hands-on demonstration of the model to the press in Morocco in March 1981, the car went on sale in France in April and in the United Kingdom in May. The British billboard advertising campaign boasted "The new Talbot Tagora. Luxury and performance redefined." The Tagora was priced to overlap with high-end Peugeot 505 and low-end Citroën CX models, while