Nasim Sdn Bhd, the official distributor of Peugeot vehicles in Malaysia, will undertake a re-branding exercise at all its branches and dealers following the French carmaker’s recent unveiling of a new global brand identity.

The exercise will entail the incorporation of Peugeot’s new logo and brand identity at all of Nasim’s branches and dealers nationwide. The logo sees aesthetic changes to the Peugeot Lion as well as the French carmaker’s new international signature, MOTION and EMOTION, which replaces its previous motto, Engineered to be Enjoyed.

The new signature and logo is to illustrate Peugeot’s new aim to be a brand that always places emotion at the heart of the motoring experience.

Nasim, a unit of the Naza Group, currently has 10 branches with a total of eight dealerships and has plans to expand its branch network to four new locations – Ampang, Puchong, Ipoh and Melaka - over the coming months.

The re-branding exercise will first take place at Nasim’s four new branches before being carried out at its 10 existing branches and eight dealerships. The entire re-branding exercise is expected to be completed by end-2010.

“This new identity is part of Peugeot’s strategy towards becoming a global brand. As the exclusive distributor of Peugeot vehicles in Malaysia, we must play our part in adopting this new brand strategy.

“I believe this new brand identity is timely. This is the start of a new decade and a new era for Peugeot,” said SM Nasarudin SM Nasimuddin, Joint Executive Chairman of the Naza Group.

The Peugeot Lion, which has been associated with the brand since 1858, has evolved over the years and its latest incarnation sees a return to a more simplistic design but more dynamic with a new posture and fluidity. Furthermore, the new Lion creates a bimetallic effect through the contrast of its mat/ lustrous finish.

The first vehicle to display the new Lion will be the Peugeot RCZ which will be launched in France in the spring of 2010.

Besides the new Lion, the Peugeot blue has also become darker and is now combined with the new typography of the marque’s name.

Nasim’s re-branding exercise is part of a wide-scale re-branding of Peugeot’s worldwide network following the unveiling of the new brand identity which is expected to be completed by the end of 2012.

The brand identity, which was introduced in conjunction with its 200th anniversary, was unveiled along with its new marque plan that aims to make the French carmaker the seventh largest carmaker in the world by 2015. Peugeot currently ranks 10th in the global automotive market in terms of size.

In order for Peugeot to achieve its stated aim, the company is embarking on a conquest for new markets dominated by crossovers, SUVs and MPVs by creating a special range of products that will be developed solely for these markets.

Furthermore, Peugeot is determined to push back the frontiers of the motor industry by designing vehicles which will embody all of the spirit of the BB1 concept car which is 2.5 metres long, can seat up to four people and 100% electric.

With this twin product offensive, Peugeot will launch 14 new models worldwide between 2010 and 2012 in its core markets and in new markets.

As part of its strategy to penetrate new markets, Peugeot recently picked the Naza Group to spearhead its expansion to other right-hand drive markets in the Asia Pacific region.