Nasim Sdn Bhd, the official distributor of Peugeot in Malaysia, has revised upwards its 2010 sales forecast by nearly 30% to 3,800 units from 2,930 units in line with increasing demand and improving market conditions. To compare, the company sold 3,766 units in 2009, but a big chunk of that was contributed by the now discontinued 206 Bestari.

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We should have seen this coming: Naza has picked up the sole distributorship for Peugeot cars here in Malaysia after Cycle and Carriage Bintang Berhad announced back in October that it had decided not to renew its contract, which would expire at the end of this year.

The Naza Group already has a relationship with Automobiles Peugeot through Naza Corporation Sdn Bhd to assemble the Peugeot 206 here locally as the Naza 206 Bestari.

Expect the sexy looking Peugeot 407 to be assembled locally soon, which should put it in better reach for buyers looking at D-segment sedans and want to try something European. The 2.0 liter model currently sells for RM164,989.90 OTR with insurance. A drop to about RM130k to RM140k through local assembly is likely, and this is good news to me at least, because Naza has some surprisingly very decent local assembly build quality for its foreign brand cars, something I’ve personally observed with the new Kia Optima and the Naza Bestari.

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The Naza Group’s SM Nasarudin SM Nasimuddin has revealed that Naza Kia, Naza Corporation and Nasim Peugeot will be unveiling a few new models this year, in addition to the CKD Peugeot 308 VTi and 308 Turbo and the CKD facelifted Peugeot 407 already launched this year.

There will be 2 new Naza-badged models, one new Kia-badged model and 3 new Peugeot models launched. The Kia-badged car is very likely to be the new Kia Forte (shown above, gallery after jump), which is said to be launched in Q2 this year. The two Naza-badged models will also be based on Kia models, they could be a new facelifted Naza Suria and an all-new monocoque Naza Sorento, based on the new facelifted Suria and the upcoming Kia XM Sorento.

A report by StarBiz claims 2 of the 3 new Peugeot models to be the Peugeot 3008 and the Peugeot 207. The 207 could be the real 207 or it could also be the 207 Compact (206+), a facelifted 206 with 207 looks, which would be a repalcement for the Naza 206 Bestari. The third model could be the Peugeot 308 CC 4-seater coupe-convertible unveiled recently, which would complete the current 308 VTi, 308 Turbo and 308 GT offerings.

Read the related links below to read our past coverage on all of these cars that are expected to hit our shores by the end of the year.

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The Malaysian Reserve reports on its front page today that Naza and PSA Peugeot-Citroen are looking at introducing a 1.6 liter entry level car that will be sold in Malaysia and also assembled and exported from here to other ASEAN regions. This solidifies plans for Naza to turn Malaysia into Peugeot’s assembly hub for the region.

Naza currently already exports the 206 to various countries including Nepal. It is in line with Peugeot’s international entry level car strategy for this to be some variation of the 206 and since we already have the 206 in 1.4 liter variety, perhaps the new compact car will be the 207 Sedan which is essentially a 206 sedan with 207 aesthetics. A 1.6 liter engine will be good news. Ideally it should be priced around the new Hyundai Accent’s level, but who knows. There is also a 307 Sedan that exists.

Look after the jump for more shots of the 207 Sedan.

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Peugeot today announced its intentions to make Malaysia its regional hub through its relationship with the Naza Group. Peugoet is currently distributed in Malaysia by Nasim Sdn Bhd, which took over the franchise from Cycle & Carriage.

Since Nasim took over, a nice European marque has been made an affordable choice for many Malaysians, undercutting its competitors both in terms of price and specifications. Turbocharging and direct injection technology in a petrol engine for the masses! Naza sold 3,766 Peugeot cars in 2009, comprising of 2,347 units of the 206 Bestari, 885 units of the 308, 491 units of the 407 and 43 units of the 207 CC. For 2010, the group is targeting to sell 2,930 Peugeots in Malaysia, which will include the “T33″ entry-level model, to be produced at Naza’s Gurun plant.

Peugeot themselves are expanding its ASEAN Regional Office in PJ, which will manage operations for the Asia-Pacific region (excluding China). Peugeot’s ASEAN Regional Office in Malaysia currently runs an ASEAN training centre and technical help desk for after-sales technicians in the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East.

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