Japan's Suzuki Motor is set to change its strategy of selling old models in China and India and launch a new model quickly in both nations to woo a growing number of affluent customers, a report said Tuesday.

Suzuki Motor Corp will begin production of a new 1.5-litre-class sporty passenger car at its joint ventures in India and China primarily intended for the local markets, Japanese newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported.

Production will start almost simultaneously with the commencement of output in Japan and Europe, the economic daily said.

The automaker will start marketing the car by the end of the year with a sales target of 400,000 units a year worldwide, it said.

The new car will be based on the Concept S passenger model unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show late last year, and is the successor to the Swift passenger car, the paper said.

Suzuki has been manufacturing and selling older models in emerging markets to keep down initial investments and local sales prices.

But the company intends to change that strategy in India and China, where increasing numbers of wealthy customers are eager to purchase the latest models available only overseas, the Nihon Keizai said.

A Suzuki spokesman would not confirm the report, saying no specific decision had been made regarding production of the new car in the two countries in addition to earlier announced plans to make the vehicle in Japan and Hungary.

But he added the company was 'considering producing vehicles aggressively where they can sell well.'

India and China are 'naturally candidates as we have factories there,' he said.

_ AFP