The Hindu Business Line : Suzuki SX4 — a slick sedan from Maruti

By May, Maruti will have SX4, a brand new sedan that could dramatically alter buyer perception about the company's passenger car design and manufacturing prowess.

Maruti has had a tough time trying to shake-off its image as a small-car manufacturer.

But its problems trying to break into the sedan category in a big way have not been just due to its image problem, but also due to the relatively weak product strategy that it has had to adopt in the past. It just did not have the right kind of cars in the segment.

But, by May, Maruti will have a brand new sedan that could dramatically alter buyer perception about the company's passenger car design and manufacturing prowess.

The new SX4 sedan was unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show 2007 and it seems to have all it takes to help Maruti become a strong contender in this segment. Enthused by the response to the SX4 sedan, Suzuki is also contemplating to take a reworked version of the car to the US, a market that is considered to be the most competitive.

After the Swift, the SX4 sedan will be another of Maruti's (for that matter even Suzuki's) world car.

A vehicle that will be identical to its counterparts sold in markets around the world. The SX4 is based on a new platform developed by Suzuki and is already sold as a hatchback model in a few markets including Japan.

The SX4 features an aggressive, yet elegant exterior design and very practical, yet plush interior finish.

The SX4 sedan will be launched with an all-new 1.6-litre petrol engine and possibly with the same 1.3-litre DDiS diesel engine that is currently being offered with the Swift.

It will be offered in the A3 segment, which currently accounts for 15 per cent of the Indian passenger car market. Depending on the trim level, expect pricing to be in the Rs 6-7.5 lakh range.

The SX4 was originally designed and developed by Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italdesign for Fiat and was in the form of a compact SUV called the Sedici (Italian for the number 16).

The Suzuki-Fiat alliance has also led to the platform being used by both the companies for an SX4 hatch and now the sedan.

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