CLASS-leading safety features available as standard on every model which will be launched with highly competitive prices are expected to be the key attributes in the Peugeot 307 winning both fleet and retail success. Claiming the all-new 307 will have unprecendented levels of safety equipment for the segment, Peugeot UK managing director Tod Evans believes new car sales could eclipse those of the 306 - the car it replaces and the best-selling Peugeot of all-time in the UK.

An anti-skid system, front, side and curtain airbags, automatic emergency call in case of triggering of airbags if the telematics package is chosen will all be standard equipment. In addition hazard lights switch on automatically in the event of hard braking, headlights and sidelights switch on automatically when the light fades and there is a 'follow me home' feature which sees headlights remain on for 45 seconds after the ignition is switched off.

With a choice of 1.4, 1.6 and 2.0-litre petrol engines and 2.0-litre HDi 90 bhp and 110 bhp turbodiesels - the latter featuring the debut of Peugeot's particulate filter on a 2.0-litre diesel engine - the 307 will be available from June. The 307 was given a static preview in Paris in February and over an 18-month period will be available as a three and five-door hatchback, saloon, estate, coupe/ cabriolet and in another guise which, claims Evans, has not been thought of by any other manufacturer.