Back in 2020, Peugeot Motocycles (no “r,” because the OEM says so) celebrated its 210th anniversary. Now, to be fair, Peugeot hasn’t been making motorized two-wheelers the entire time. Indeed, the French lion first started wielding its skills in metallurgy all the way back in 1810, making things like tools and coffee grinders. It wasn't until 1898 that Peugeot stuck its very first motor inside a bicycle frame. 

Still, it’s not every company that sticks around long enough to make the leap from coffee grinders to scooters. So, we certainly can’t blame Peugeot for wanting to celebrate that achievement. Besides, the limited edition 210th anniversary Django scooter Peugeot issued in October, 2020, is quite lovely. To continue the celebrations, Peugeot Motocycles just unveiled its new logo to start 2021. 

The stylized lion’s head in profile pays homage to Peugeot’s long history of building two, three, and four-wheeled vehicles. It’s a much more streamlined, modern take on the older Peugeot crest, and no longer depicts the much more recent prancing lion.  

Scanning through Peugeot’s lengthy history, the French industrial powerhouse first incorporated a lion into its branding in 1847. Quoting directly from the Peugeot Philippines page, “The lion image was used to represent the strength and sharpness of the products – symbolized through the lion’s jagged and sharp teeth.” The company first registered a lion logo in 1858, but it didn’t start appearing on Peugeot vehicles until 1948. 

That crest remained virtually unchanged until 1998, when the new Peugeot lion logo grew paws “to show the power and corporate balance of the company.” As of 2021, the newly refreshed Peugeot crest was developed to link all 210 years of history together, according to French moto publication Le Repaire des Motards. 

If you’re thinking that the newly stylized lion looks a bit familiar, you may be thinking of the Aprilia lion. The Italian king of the moto-jungle took its influence from the proud Venetian statue of St. Mark’s lion, which is both a symbol of the city and a perennial tourist draw. In recent years, Aprilia has been using its “A” logo more frequently, but it may be interesting to see the two lion-branded scooters go head-to-head in markets where the brands compete. 

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