AFTER months of speculation we have just received official news that Bermaz Auto Berhad will be the new brand guardian for PSA automotive brands in Malaysia. Nasim Sdn Bhd was the previous brand guardian for Peugeot, Citroen and more recently, the DS premium automotive brand.
Nasim Sdn Bhd which is part of the Naza automotive group took over the Peugeot franchise from Cycle & Carriage in early 2008. Cycle & Carriage Automobiles Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cycle & Carriage Bintang (CCB) Bhd ceased operation as Peugeot franchise holder in Malaysia when its franchise contract expired on December 31, 2007.
By the mid-February 2008, Nasim opened its Peugeot Blue Box in Glenmarie, Shah Alam. The Peugeot Blue Box was a specialised brand centre which had in its sales, service and spare parts sections all under one roof and it was launched by Dato’ Seri Rafidah Aziz, the then Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry.
By the end of 2009 Peugeot sales in Malaysia stood at about 3,800 units, making it the second highest selling European brand after Mercedes-Benz in Malaysia.
Nasim, as the importer and distributor for Peugeot in Malaysia did very well in the first year where Peugeot became the third highest selling European vehicle manufacturer in Malaysia.
In 2009, the company sales represented 86% of Peugeot's sales in the Asean region. The following year in 2010 the Malaysian-produced (in Gurun) Peugeot 207 sedan was being exported to Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei, Sri Lanka and selected right-hand drive markets in Africa.
In July 2019, the first batch of the Peugeot 3008 1.6L Active manufactured at the Naza Automotive Manufacturing (NAM) plant in Gurun, Kedah was set to be exported to the Philippines under the new joint venture agreement between Groupe PSA and Naza Corporation Holdings.
In September 2020, we shared an article that speculated this new business agreement between PSA and BAuto and was met with some negative comments from social media followers saying that our information was not true. Now, some three months later it looks like our information sources in September were spot on and not only is Peugeot going to BAuto, but Citroen and DS automotive brands will be handled by them as well.
Malaysian French car lovers should be happy with this new business arrangement as it would signal the arrival of newer models and also wider after sales. Look out for the arrival of the Peugeot 2008 in Malaysia very soon. – The Vibes, December 2, 2020
PRESS RELEASE: GROUPE PSA AWARDS SOLE DISTRIBUTORSHIP RIGHTS OF PEUGEOT MARQUE VEHICLES IN MALAYSIA TO BERJAYA AUTO ALLIANCE SDN BHD
Kuala Lumpur (December 1, 2020): Groupe PSA (“Groupe PSA”), Berjaya Corporation Berhad (“BerjayaCorp”) and Bermaz Auto Berhad (“Bermaz”) wish to inform that Groupe PSA has awarded Berjaya Auto Alliance Sdn Bhd (“BAASB”) the sole distributorship of new vehicles under the PEUGEOT marque and the rights of aftersales and spare parts distribution for the PEUGEOT, CITROEN and DS marque vehicles in Malaysia; thus signaling a new partnership that is expected to enable Groupe PSA to continue to pursue its growth strategy in Malaysia. BAASB is a newly incorporated company whereby BerjayaCorp and Bermaz hold 51% and 20% stakes respectively in BAASB.
Sharing her views on this new collaboration, Mrs Laurence Noel, the Senior Vice President South East Asia Groupe PSA said, “Our product line-up of award-winning SUVs Peugeot 3008 and Peugeot 5008 has garnered a lot of attention here in the past few years, and as such we strive to continue the momentum through exciting new models and aftersales initiatives. It is our plan in the near future to introduce our global successes such as the all new Peugeot 2008 in Malaysia. Further to that, we aim to continuously revolutionize the customer experience together with our new partner, BAASB and underscore our commitment to our customers through excellent sales and aftersales service. Groupe PSA has made Malaysia its export hub for the region.”
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