Maruti Udyog Ltd said on Tuesday that it will import the first lot of about 50 units of the sports-utility-vehicle Grand Vitara XL-7, prior to its launch in the next few weeks.

The vehicle, which would be priced at about Rs 20 lakhs (Rs 2 million), has been imported as a completely built unit from Suzuki Motor Corp of Japan, the sources said.

This would be the first model to be launched by Suzuki in the country after it took management control of Maruti in May 2002, they said.

The Grand Vitara XL-7 would be targeted at big business houses, plantation owners, sports people, film stars, builders, non-resident Indians and embassies.

Maruti's engineers were being trained at Suzuki's plant in Japan to handle the after-sales service of the new vehicle.

Sports-utility-vehicle are popular all over the world for their big size, powerful engine, luxury interiors and safety coupled with their ability to be driven in both on-road and off-road conditions.

In US, SUV sales accounted for 38 lakh (3.8 million) units in 2002, which was six times the total passenger car market in India.

The growing domestic SUV market is represented by indigenously-produced vehicles like Tata Safari and Mahindra Scorpio as well as imported models like Chevrolet Forester and Mitsubishi Pajero.