Suzuki switched on to versatility

The Suzuki SX4, a five-door lifestyle vehicle with front- and four-wheel-drive options, is expected to go sale in New Zealand at the end of the year.

Suzuki headquarters in Wanganui says final specifications have yet to be confirmed, but the "crossover" hatchback will be offered in some markets with the choice of three engines - 1.5 and 1.6-litre petrol units and a 1.9-litre diesel equipped with a particle filter.

The SX4 follows the Swift and third-generation Grand Vitara models that have been launched in the past year.

Suzuki believes the SX4 will boost the company's sales in Europe in 2006-07 by 20 per cent to 320,000.

The SX4 will be available with a switchable three-mode four-wheel-drive system providing 4WD-automatic, 4WD-Lock and 2WD.

There will also be a choice of manual and automatic transmissions.

Suspension up front is MacPherson strut while the rear has a torsion beam.

Active safety features include anti-lock braking with electronic brake-force distribution as standard on all versions.

Suzuki's four-cylinder 1.6-litre engine averages 5.8 litres/100 km (48.7mpg) in the European extra urban fuel test cycle.

In four-wheel-drive form with the same engine, the SX4 averages 6.1 litres/100 km (46.3mpg).

The SX4 had its first public showing at the Geneva motor show, where Suzuki said it intended to boost production at its Hungarian plant by more than 100 per cent to 300,000 units a year.

Last year, world sales of Suzuki cars and light trucks topped two million for the first time.

The company predicts a further rise of 10.4 per cent this year.