Sounds like it's simulating a driver's behavior in manual transmission. We ease off the accelerator and step on the clutch and change gears mah. Probably needs some refinement.

Dont worry. Compared to 2 years ago, the level of public perception about non Japanese cars has become much better. Its up to ppl like us to spread the news that there are some much better cars out there besides the normal Japs.

in singapore, P408 is selling at $151,800  (turbo, don't think the 2.0 NA is available) above Volkswagen Jetta selling from : $143,800 and the popular Toyota Corolla Altis$133,988, Honda Civic from $141,900, Nissan Sylphy from $120,800, Ford Focus from $137,888 and  Mazda 3 from $135,988.... almost the price of Nissan Qashqai from $153,800

Now if you are a Singaporean, and not as lucky as Malaysian in term having such good pricing, what would u do?

I don't even know that P408 available at SG...

could it be a typo? hmmm, maybe someone could drop the singaporean team an e-mail seeking clarification.

i just spoke to my friend again and it was confirmed that the spec in singapore and thailand is same as malaysia. i will call those singaporeans shortly too!!

Most Malaysian gets very excited over owning a VW ( and now increasingly Ford) but overlook the fact that both brands are actually not that big a deal elsewhere in the world. They are like you say mainstream. The above pricing perhaps can explain why VW is popular in china because at 76~89k RMB/Yuan... VW Jetta 1.6 MT is so affordable even then Japanese cars <a Nissan sylphy 1.6 MT @100k min while Honda Civic 1.8 MT/ToyotaCorolla is 124k to 130 k min  there . If I am a Chinese - a China Chinese, I will buy a VW at any given day. So I disagree with others claiming popularity is not a function of pricing but rather branding. I challenge them to give concrete evidence of their claim. For start I put forth another case this time out neighbour Thailand p408 is selling at THB 1080,000 (2.0NA) and THB1,250,000 (1.6 turbo) compare to ford focus selling at THB549,000 to THB689,000 for 4 door Sport and THB759,000 to THB1,079,000 for 5 door sedan which is comparable to Japs Nissan New Sylphy/ Honda Civic and Toyota Altis.  I  believe it is about positioning. VW position them self very differently in the rest of Asia and SEA compare to China And USA and Europe. They position themselves as premium brand here and sell them with such approach and reflect that in pricing ...smart Germans !

Checking your statements....It's a given that VW is sold more expensive in UK so let's look at Ford. (first it is not right to use UK as representation of the whole europe...for one Germany has a population of 81.8 m compare to France of 65.35m and UK of 62.26m, ok?)

With the exception of the new Fiesta, everything from the Focus to the Mondeo is easily more expensive than what Peugeot is offering. The 308T is to Focus as is the 508 is to the Mondeo.

( is it now? nope not true , see below
Ford Fiesta 1.25  starts from €11.500,- 
Focus 1.4  starts from €15.500,
Focus 1.6  starts from €16.500  
Focus 1.8 starts from €18.000,
Focus 2.0  starts from €20.000,-  

I would actually call it cheaper than   ...
Peugeot 208 1.2 VTi  from €11.600,
Peugeot 308 1.4 VTi  from €15.700, 
Peugeot 308 1.4 VTi  70 (95)   1397   3,5   Premium   €15.700,-
Peugeot 308 1.6 VTi  88 (120)   from €19.450, other variances from €22,250 to €25,850 ,
 
http://bestsellingcarsblog.com/2012/11/20/...back-in-top-10/

The chart itself is self explanatory, the only Peugeot car that sells well in the top 10 category is the model 208 (because selling price of Peugeot 208 1.2 VTi starts from ... only €11.600) and that's actually more expensive than the VW Polo ( :oops:nope VW Polo 1.2 starts from €12.450 and the new Ford Fiesta -Fiesta 1.25 from € 11.500) But the 308T isn't a bad car either, so why isn't it on the top 10 list and yet the more expensive Ford Focus is?

(308t is selling at  308 150 THP  110 (150)   1598   3,5   Premium   €22.250, Ford focus?   Focus 1.6 Ti-VCT  85 (115)   1596   3,5   Premium   €18.750,-   
   Focus 1.8  92 (125)   1796   3,5   Premium   €18.000 , again, which is more expensive?)

Looking at the local market, the 408 is definitely selling well thanks to its awesome price. (agree     ) The same can't be said for the Jetta where it is priced in a very D-segment region. (agree     ) But in Singapore, the pricing of a VW Jetta and the 408 is very close to each other  , almost to the point of negligible, but yet it's the Jetta that's selling well compared to the 408. (I Would not call SGD 151.8k P408 is close to SGD143.8k Jetta , and  SGD 8k difference is neglible, after all it is 5.5% difference )

Surely it has to do with the pricing to some extent but it's not realistic to entirely nail the fault down to pricing.

source: http://www.cars-of-europe.com/

What sales stats are you refering to when you say the 408 is selling well in Malaysia? And which model are you comparing against?

I think it's pointless to compare car buying trend between Malaysia and elsewhere. Each have their own buying sentiment/perception/bla..bla..bla. Foer example, hatchbacks are not popular in China no matter how they price it and I've read somwhere that Hyundai have to elongate their Elantra only for China market. And here, Camry will sell well no matter what spec and price they put in. Apart from that, the automotive policy and economic development of each country will play a huge role as well. So, as long as I'm happy with my ride, I don't particularly care what others are buying for their ride. Having said that, with more Pug on the road, it might result to better spare part availability (hopefully cheaper as well) and after sales services.

Since you've mentioned Elantra, they've been selling it even before 408 and with all the hype surrounding this car, I thought it will dominate our road but I could say the amount of 408 and Elantra I've spotted on the road are more or less equal. And I haven't seen the new Ford Focus on the road as of now yet.

Ok , consider this my last statement on this, otherwise we are going out of topic

Firstly let look at the sales no. since Peugeot 208 is launch (source: ww.jato.com ; i.e. the same source ,OK?)

Model/make Jul-12 Aug-12 Sep-12 Oct-12
VW Polo                23,512 16,996 20,571 22,817
Ford Fiesta                21,902 12,980 31,468 26,145
Peugeot 208 17,981 14,721 23,225 23,352

We look at this segment alone, OK?

Although never No 1, P208 has achieved 3 times no. 2 exceeded VW polo for 2 months and Ford Fiesta once .

I wonder when I hope it is launch in M'sia what would the sales no. looks like (but no-one knows all this hypotheticals).....

Aiyo, man, My point has always been when the pricing is right, the car can be popular, and when it is over-priced, it is priced out from competition considerably

I hope you can already understand from my previous threads, that the reason why Peugeot is not popular in China/Thailand/Singapore because they are higher priced than VW and Ford

Agree so far? now in Europe , you may argue I got the German Price and u got the UK price. Then let's refer to the below links

http://ec.europa.eu/competition/sectors/mo...11_07_stats.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/competition/sectors/mo..._main_table.pdf

This source although a bit dated as it refers to prices of 1-1-2011, but as it is a requirement from EU to antimonopy (kind of like Anti Trust in US) , such reports is done and it is very reliable

Now bcoz P208 comes later, let me just use its predecessor P207 as comparison of segment B as opposed to VW polo and Ford Fiesta of the same segment but we have P308, VW golf and Ford Focus (the older version) for segment C comparison.

I will take Germany's/France's & UK's prices as at 1-1-2011 (all in Euro) as they are the biggest top 3 populated countries in Europe and listed them down here:

Segment B:
Make/Model     Germany     France        UK
Ford Fiesta       11,681        11,288        10,754
P207                13,345        14,256        11,442
VW Polo           10,315         9,933         8,738

Segment C:
Make/Model     Germany     France        UK
Ford Focus       15,714        15,468        15,524
P308                16,025        17,266        15,068
VW Golf           14,139        12,942        14,232
Now see how Peugeot used to price it self out? With P208, they have finally price it right, hence selling like hot cakes.
Double and tripple check it, OK?

/www.cbt.com.my/category/columns/sales-data/
Is the best source of car sales by models and makes. Unfortunately for reason unknown, the statistics was not updated since june2012..... It still shows the fact that Peugeot P207 and P308 is selling better than VW and Ford... Again it really has to do with prices. The sales figure covers Korean Kia and Hyundai too. Enjoy reading and draw your own conclusion

408 is launch may11 and the sales data stopped jun12. I did not start saying 408 selling well I am merely nodding to this statement from zweimmk... K bro? My agreement is relatively ...selling well in malaysia compare to Singapore Thailand and china because it is priced right ... Just like 208 in europe

What do you mean what's with the steering wheel design?? 508 have the same steering wheel design I believe.

I'm quite surprised by the comment. 301 is a lot smaller than the 408. Looks like a baby 508,thought it's a good 207 sedan replacement!

Btw, future Pugs will end with the number 1 or 8. 1 indicates budget model while 8 indicates luxury! Hence 301 steering looks plain.

IMO the interior looks way better than most VW models which I consider dated!

About malaysians demanding highest spec at lowest price, I dont think this applies. Malaysians are all about badge recognition, ie Toyota and Honda. There are quite a number of different marque which gives higher spec at similar price line, but still people go back to T/H Just take the first batch of Vios J for example with no airbags, no ABS etc etc and it still sells like hotcakes. I'd imagine if Toyota came out with a bicycle with the Toyota and Camry emblem on it, our streets will be flooded with bikes now

Service networks have a lot to do with the distributorships. It works hand in hand. Behind T and Perodua is UMW. Behind Honda, Proton, Suzuki and even VW is DRB-Hicom.  Behind Ford and Hyundai is Sime Darby. Behind Peugeot, Kia, Chevvy is Naza. Catching up on service and spare parts is hence depending on not just how rich are these local partner but how willing these companies are to put in the dough and the sweat to makes the whole deal works. A lot of that has to do with is firstly...is motor biz these companies core business or at least big contributor to their revenue. So UMW is, DRB-Hicom...yes but...Proton just going to eat in too much of their time and they will probably leave both honda and vw to their capable hand and Suzuki to their own device. Naza? I think so especially when it comes to motor biz being their core and how they have invested in Peugeot and Kia ventures but can't say the same for Chevrolet . Sime Darby ? don't bet your socks in it! The worst of the lots. They have not done Ford justice IMHO.

Behind Mazda is Berjaya a working partnership that has sell numbers ---from 991 units sold in 2008, Bermaz (a convenient combi of both companies' name i.e. BERjaya-MAZda) shifted 6,131 units in 2011, not a small feat by any account. So much so that it led to this :
http://paultan.org/2012/09/11/mazda-malays...d-cx-5-in-2013/

Sounds like a second Naza story? My worry is only as
Berjaya is kind of like Sime Darby...too diversified of biznesses and motor is not their core...but still i will bet on this partnership as THE ONE TO BEHOLD.

Mitsubishi with EON is... Well their declining sales is testament to how well THAT works!

Hahaha if Honda can give 5 year unlimited mileage that will only makes Ford, hyundai both by Sime Darby looks silliy and gimmicky with their km limits.

Personally I have more confidence with conti CKD cars assembled in Msia then those assembled in Thailand. I think my Peugeot SA was right when he said the steel thickness is thinner for Thai-assembled ford focus. VW also show this solid body steel thickness. I recall I can't sense the solid door and body-feel for all japs and Koreans brands.

Ford focus also look very gimmicky to me, the Dashboard, with all the techy stuff. I  asked the ford SA, wouldn't those features strain the battery faster like smartphones  ? No confirmation was given.

408 is a really solid piece of body work, may be that is why the curb weight is heavier.

I was not implying ford does that to save bucks. With USD rate falling, it is not much to save anyway. What I am saying is I think it is the local sourcing that translate into quality and reliability. I am patriotic when it comes to local sourcing... Hence I said it as my personal preference. Body is one, quality of material is another, Thai can produce thing may be cheaper but quality? You can draw your own conclusion.

And what am i missing out on i wonder?  Your claim that the 408 NA can keep up with a VW Passat CC despite the Passat driver clearly not pushing his car? I think Skyjack has clearly told you that both those VW's can easily tapau even his 408T. I know ure excited about your new ride and yes its a good car but its also alright to admit you made a mistake in your earlier comparison u know? Cheers!

Btw, you mentioned that your RPM at 140kmph is 3,600. Is this correct? If im not mistaken, the Optima K5 RPM at 160kmph is 3,250 only. At 200kmph its 4,250. So how did you get 3,600 RPM at 140kmph on your 408 NA?