Maruti Suzuki SX4 to be back soon

Maruti Suzuki SX4 the "man" among cars, as the SX4 is called in its ad campaigns, will be back soon probably on Diwali.

However the company is going all out to play down the re-launch of its sedan. As quoted in the media, Chairman R C Bhargava says minor changes or facelifts are done to all models periodically. Otherwise, the customer gets bored and sales suffer.

"As a model gets older, its sales drop. The sales of the SX4 were further hit due to a few misleading reports in media about Maruti planning to discontinue the SX4. Hopefully sales would look brighter after the facelift. I am not sure what target has been set for the car, but we will supply what the market will demand", Bhargava says.

And, contrary to reports, Bollywood star John Abraham is not being roped in to endorse the refurbished SX4. So what is the facelift all about? The engine will be upgraded to the Bharat Stage IV emission norms, which will kick in from April next year in 11 cities, and the power output will be scaled up to give it a higher pick-up.

The car will now drive on the variable valve timing technology. In addition, SX4 will have new bumpers, a ""sophisticated-looking" grille and spruced-up interiors. The new car will also have an additional automatic variant â€ another first for any sedan from Maruti. The new car will of course be more expensive than the current top-end Zxi variant.