First NZ-market model with new emblem will be next year’s 308.

DEALERSHIPS will likely have at least a six-month head start on displaying Peugeot’s new logo over the first product to bear the back-to-the-past emblem.

Arek Zywot, commercial manager for Autodistributors NZ, which holds brand rights here, says national sales outlets are probably going to be refitted with the latest corporate identity by late this year.

The first car to take the emblem, which in displaying the head of a roaring lion in profile within a shield is effectively a modern reboot of the black and white badge worn by the brand in the 1960s, is the next 308 medium hatchback, disguised examples of which have been pictured during trials, as seen below.

That car unveils internationally next month but won’t be in New Zealand until some time after February, 2022.

The rebranding has occurred in the wake of Peugeot’s parent, PSA, merging with Fiat-Chrysler to become a new entity, Stellantis.

Along with a fresh logo comes a new intent for Peugeot, to lift its game as one of the more aspirational and upmarket marques within this new combine entity, which with annual sales of approximately eight million vehicles and 400,000 employees, becomes the fourth-largest global automaker by volume.

Last night’s unveiling of the new brtanding ends a busy week for Autodistributors, as it has just landed supply of three new models about to hit the market – the 3008 mid-size SUV, the 5008 three-row SUV and the 208 hatchback, which avails solely in a GT format. The franchise holder’s hope of keeping these cars out of the spotlight until it had media material prepared was blown by a national motoring news provider.

The just-added models will likely stand out from the 308 as the latter is the first Peugeot production model expected to move to a new styling language so far only seen on the brand’s concepts.

Peugeot is targeting a worldwide completion of the rebranding exercise by 2023. The rebrand also coincides with Peugeot’s plan to electrify its entire line-up by 2025.

“Peugeot is moving upmarket,” claimed new Peugeot boss Linda Jackson.

“We’ve already spent a lot of time working on the vehicles, and this is the second part of the journey, which is all about the customer experience. The trigger is the fact that we love the way that we are now going with the cars.”

Stellantis comprises of Fiat, Fiat Professional, Abarth, Chrysler, Alfa Romeo, Abarth, Jeep, Dodge, Ram Trucks, Maserati, Lancia, Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Opel and Vauxhall.

At present the French marques are with one distributor in NZ whereas the American and Italian brands that export are with another, Ateco. Opel and Vauxhall have historically been part of the General Motors portfolio, but how stands now that Holden has become defunct is unclear.

There has been no public comment from either about the potential for any changes; it is not known if Stellantis prefers all its brands to be with one distributor.