Peugeot 308 VTi & 308 Turbo available in Malaysia now

Nasim, the official franchise holder of Peugeot automobiles in Malaysia, has launched the Peugeot 308 and pricing it competitively at RM96,500 for the 308 VTi and RM111,000 for the 308 Turbo, (on-the-road with insurance) in an event officiated by the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak.

The new 308 which was the winner of the “Golden Lenkrad” award in 2007 in Germany in its category and also recently the AMI NZ Autocar Car of the Year 2008 in its class. It is set to offer Malaysian car buyers more choice apart from the current mainly Japanese offerings available in the market.

Being locally assembled at the Naza Automotive Manufacturing plant in Gurun, Kedah, the gorgeous 308 will be available in 5 door form and has the new EP6 series of 1.6 L engines. The EP6 engines have won the International Engine of the Year Award twice, in 2007 and 2008 and are a result of a technical collaboration between Automobiles Peugeot and BMW.

Malaysians will be offered 2 variants of the new Peugeot 308; the Peugeot 308 VTi and the Peugeot 308 Turbo. Both are available with only automatic transmissions with System Tiptronic Porsche; a feature that allows drivers to select manual gear selection or fully automatic. En SM Nasarudin said that these two models reflect the growing taste of Malaysian buyers for European automobiles. He added that the cars have been very well specified and are being positioned as premium offerings within their respective segments.

“The performance of the 308 Turbo is already as good as some 2.0 litre competitors and in some cases even better. The 308 offers a combination of strong engine performance, with top-notch creature comforts, space and safety for both the VTi and Turbo and these alone, are strong points for anyone considering the new 308. Our theme ‘Naturally Efficient’ for the launch shows just how far the automobile has progressed and in the 308’s case, it represents efficiency in all areas; performance, spaciousness, fuel economy, safety and also towards the environment.” He added that customers should get into the car and feel the difference when compared to the car’s competitors.

The Peugeot 308 VTi and Peugeot 308 Turbo models are Nasim’s spearhead into the hotly contested C-segment, at near premium Japanese B-segment hatch (CBU) price levels. With the Peugeot 407 as a testimony to the marque’s acceptance into Malaysian mainstream automotive market, Nasim Sdn Bhd is confident of the 308 repeating the success. En SM Nasarudin hinted that Nasim Sdn Bhd will continue to introduce new and exciting Peugeot models into the Malaysian market that are very competitive in their price and size segments as part of Nasim’s strategy for Peugeot in Malaysia.