French carmaker Peugeot has released its third new model into the Chinese market in the last eighteen months, the 308 compact sedan, which made its debut at the at the Chengdu Motor Show in mid-September this year.

Manufactured locally in cooperation with Peugeot’s Chinese partner Dongfeng Motor Corporation, the new 308 Sedan joins the carmaker’s extended offerings in the C-segment that also include the 307 and 408 saloons.

Peugeot said that with the new launch, it intends to strengthen its presence within the very competitive category, with a full year sales target of 60,000 units.

Together with the 307 and 408 Sedans, the French carmaker aims to sell 150,000 cars in the C-segment in 2012, which will account for about 60 percent of the brands total sales in the country.

The 308 Sedan goes on sale in China with two gasoline engine choices, a 1.6-liter unit producing 106HP and 142Nm, and a 2.0-liter with 147HP and 200Nm of peak torque, both of which are available with manual and automatic transmissions.

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