Peugeot means business
Peugeot plans to go big in ASEAN, and by virtue of its partnership with local outfit Nasim Sdn Bhd, Malaysia has been selected as the marque’s manufacturing hub for right-hand drive markets in Asia. Of course, those of us following developments of the auto industry are only too used to grand pledges by manufacturers that, after lifting our hopes, end up being undelivered.
Nevertheless, as a demonstration of its serious intent, Peugeot sent a figure of great importance within their hierarchy to deliver their message. The man they sent was none other than Mr Nicholas Wertans, the company’s deputy managing director, on a two-day visit to Malaysia.
Yesterday, Mr Wertans hosted a media briefing along with CEO of Nasim Sdn Bhd, En SM Nasarudin SM Nasimudin, to unveil the brand’s new identity in Malaysia and also to share with us Peugeot and Nasim’s plans for the not too distant future.
Opening the press conference, Nasarudin noted, “We are confident we can make Malaysia Peugeot’s industrial hub for the region. I believe we have only touched the surface of the Peugeot brand’s potential in Malaysia and the region.”
“For this year, we are planning to launch four new models and targeting to sell close to 3,000 units,” he added, also saying that the strategy is now to position Peugeot as an ‘accessible premium brand’.
As mentioned in a report we carried last week, Peugeot’s rebranding exercise is inline with the French marque’s strategy to move themselves three places up in the ranking of carmakers from tenth to seventh by 2015. Central to that strategy is a new product offensive that will see no less than 14 all-new models being launched from now to 2012.
Symbolizing the brand’s renewed market assault is a new brand identity, which includes a new Lion, a new logo typeface, and a new motto – Motion & Emotion, with the ‘O’s visually enlarged to resemble wheels. In Malaysia, Nasim plans to have their entire network inline with the new branding by the end of this year, while Peugeot themselves expect full implementation worldwide to be completed by 2012.
“Since 1810, Peugeot has associated its name, and later its Lion emblem, to saws, tools steel crinoline stays, coffee grinders, bicycles, motorcycles, scooters, and cars.
“To each of this worlds, Peugeot has brought passion and innovation, while laying emphasis on its industrial origins based in particular. On strong 200 years later, Peugeot affirms its international ambition by launching a new marque project,” said Mr Wertans.
At the media briefing, we were shown a number of Peugeot’s planned products both for this region, and worldwide. We can tell you right now that the recently launched 3008 and 5008 is set to enter our market this year. The RCZ coupe, on which the new Lion is set to debut, will also be making its way here shortly after its global launch. A strong statement of intent, surely.
Other models set for launching in our shores this year include the 308CC and the new T33 sedan, widely accepted to be the 207 Sedan, a model with underpinnings from the 206, though its naming for the Malaysian market has yet to be finalized. Production is set to commence in Gurun during the latter half of the year, with Thailand and Indonesia already earmarked as export destinations.
A couple of other models were also shown to us which are not yet planned for the Malaysian market. They include the SR1, a vehicle still being designated as a concept, but said to be seriously considered for series production. Whether or not we will be seeing SR1s running on the roads, its styling cues will definitely be seen sprinkled all over Peugeot’s cars coming up over the next decade.
One model worth looking at is the T73 sedan, which was being unveiled in China as the 408 the same time that the first official images were being shown to us. Now, don’t mis-understand, this is not a 407 replacement. Its underpinnings are in fact based on the 308, which it greatly resembles. At this stage, plans are not in place for the T73 to come to Malaysia, but don’t bet against it. Peugeot designed this car to compete in various markets around the world, to go head on with C-segment competitors.
However, the one that we’d really want to see coming is the BB1 concept car, which Mr Wertans revealed was greenlighted for production a mere days ago. Fully electric, the BB1 is a what Peugeot calls the ‘crossroads between the worlds of the two-and-four-wheel vehicle’. Built on a tubular chassis, the BB1 sits four passengers and measures a mere 2.5 metres long. Propulsion is provided by a pair of electric motors mounted in the rear wheels.
In 2009, Nasim sold 3,766 Peugeot cars comprising of 2,347 units of the 206 Bestari, 885 units of the 308, 491 units of the 407, and 43 units of the 207CC. Even discounting the sales contributions of the 206, Nasim’s sales of Peugeot cars still amounted to a seven-fold increase from 2008.
