Aug. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Suzuki Motor Corp., a Japanese carmaker, will start selling a hybrid sedan in North America in 2011, the Nikkei newspaper reported, without saying who provided the information.

The entry by Shizuoka prefecture-based Suzuki, which has lagged behind Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. in environmentally friendly cars, may prompt price competition, the report said.

The sedan is equipped with a next-generation hybrid system jointly developed with General Motors Corp., the newspaper said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Norie Kuboyama in Tokyo at nkuboyama@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: August 15, 2009 20:02 EDT