Suzuki asks what's better than $1.49 gas? How about free!

Anytime a manufacturer has to dress its car up with lightning bolt stickers and a cape in its advertisements, you know things are getting a bit desperate. Suzuki took it in the shorts last month with an industry-worst 78 percent decline in June sales. Now, Suzuki is including "free gas" as an incentive to buy its SX4.

American Suzuki Motor Corp. has announced a nationwide sales promotion offering car buyers three months of free gasoline on retail purchases of new 2009 Suzuki SX4 Sedan and 2009 SX4 Crossover models. In addition, Suzuki is offering $2,000 in customer cash on all 2009 SX4 models equipped with manual transmission. The Suzuki "Free Gas for Summer" sales program, which kicked off July 1 and runs through Aug. 31.

It's important to note that "free" does not mean "unlimited." The SX4 sedan buyer will get debit card for $270 worth of free gas, while the SX4 crossover receives a card worth $290 in free gas.

Suzuki has also taken to referring to the SX4 as being "Mightier than the MINI" however it's sales would suggest otherwise. I recommend they try including the lightning bolt stickers and cape with every sale, they might pick up a few extra buyers.

What is of interest to me is that the SX4 was co-developed with Fiat which sells its version as the Sedici. If Suzuki is being forced to offer such incentives to move its small car (which I actually like, by the way), it doesn't bode well for Fiat which plans on marketing many of its small cars in the United States under Chrysler and Dodge labels. In Fiat's defense, it will tailor its models to meet buyer expectations, but only so many changes can be made.

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