2011 Peugeot 207 Sedan Officially Launched In Malaysia

The 2011 Peugeot 207 sedan has been officially launched in Malaysia. Available for an estimated RM 72,888 (on-the-road with insurance), the 1.6 variant is produced at Naza Automotive Manufacturing's plant in Gurun, Kedah. The 207 is the first car hatched under an agreement making Malaysia a regional manufacturing hub.

As some of you may know, the B-segment 207 sedan is not quite the 207 hatchback sold in Europe; it is actually a 206 with an attached (420-litre) boot, which goes some way towards explaining the attractive price tag and the slightly awkward body proportions.

Despite sharing the same chassis as the 206 Bestari, the 207 sedan comes with a more powerful 1.6-litre DOHC 16-valve engine with 110 hp at 5800 rpm and 147 Nm at 4000 rpm. Power is channeled to the front wheels via a four-speed adaptive automatic transmission with Tiptronic, a sport mode and a snow/traction mode. Fuel economy is officially rated as 16.4 km/litre.

The 207 sedan uses hydraulically-assisted power steering and a suspension setup consisting of MacPherson struts at the front and torsion beam behind. Front ventilated discs and rear drums provide the braking power.

Standard equipments are generous for the price level, including 15" Interlagos alloy wheels, automatic wipers, automatic headlamps with “follow-me-home” function, leather-wrapped steering wheel, automatic climate control, and six-speaker audio system with CD changer, MP3/WMA compatibility and USB/Bluetooth connectivity. The instrument panel is designed by Jaeger, the famed high-end luxury watch maker.

Safety features comprise of dual front SRS airbags (front passenger airbag can be deactivated), front seatbelt pretensioners, braking controls (ABS with EBD and EBA), and two ISOFIX anchor points for child safety seats at the back. Five exterior colour choices are available for selection.

Part of the Naza group of companies and the official distributor of Peugeot cars in Malaysia, Nasim expects to sell between 5000 and 6000 units of the 207 in 2011. Twenty percent of that figure would be exports to right-hand-drive countries in the region such as Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei and Sri Lanka.