Suzuki's small SX4 SUV developed with Fiat debuts in Japan

-TOKYO -- Suzuki Motor Corp. marketed the SX4, a compact sport-utility vehicle developed with Italy's Fiat S.p.A., in Japan on Tuesday.

The new SUV, which has been developed as a successor model to the Escudo and the Swift that have been targeted at the global marketplace, first went on sale in Europe this March.

At a news conference, President Hiroshi Tsuda expressed hope that the SX4 will help give a boost to Suzuki's global brand image.

The four-wheel-drive 1.5XG model with a 1.5-liter engine under the new product line will sell for 1,858,500 yen.

Annual sales are targeted at 15,000 units.