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Neha Kaushik

New Delhi , Oct. 11

CONSUMERS who are looking to buy a new car this festive season would do well to wait till next week before making their purchase.

The week before Diwali will see at least four new models/variants being rolled out in the market. This includes a new variant of the WagonR from Maruti Suzuki, a sports utility vehicle (SUV) from Ford, a special edition variant of the Mitsubishi Lancer and an automatic variant of General Motor's Chevrolet Optra.

Market analysts point out that the increased activity in the month could be due to the fact that the festive season would be beginning earlier than usual this year, which may result in higher sales in the period.

According to industry sources, the new WagonR variant will have new headlamps, a new look grill and a modification in the rear combination lamps. Though it is not yet known whether the pricing of the new car will vary from the existing model, industry sources added that the new range is likely to replace the existing WagonR range.

Market analysts felt that the new WagonR could be intended to take on competition from the recently launched Hyundai Santro Xing. The Santro Xing has seen its sales racing ahead in the domestic market. Last month it sold as many as 8,527 units, while in the April-September period the offtake was 49,417 units.

From the Ford stable will come the SUV Endeavour, which was previewed at the company's plant near Chennai recently. The vehicle is in the process of being rolled out across dealerships and its pricing will be announced next week. According to the market, the Endeavour is expected to be priced in the range of Rs 13-15 lakh. The vehicle would be one in the series of recent entrants in the premium SUV market.

Hindustan Motors too intends to roll out a limited edition model of its mid-size premium car Mitsubishi Lancer next week. The car would be carrying a priced tag of about Rs 8 lakh.

Apart from new launches, there is a range of innovative offers by dealers in anticipation of higher sales during the month.

In addition to the lump-sum price offs on existing models, freebies being offered on purchase of a new vehicle in the period include gold coins and trips to foreign countries.

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