As the new interaction of the most popular hatchback in the country is on its way to you, let’s look back at the legendary journey of the Maruti Suzuki Swift. The launching of Swift in 2005 was a defining moment in the Indian small-car market. It changed the game forever. Never before did the segment see a vehicle which flaunted a design-first approach and which drove as sporty as it looked. In the process, Indians got introduced to the first performance hatch in the country. The Swift later went on to become the highest selling car even surpassing Alto.
A Joint Venture
The Swift was the first car jointly developed by Maruti and Suzuki, a beginning of a grand success story. 20 engineers from India were stationed in Japan for one and a half years, working as part of the global team. As a result, even though Swift was a global product, it could cater to the Indian sensibilities as well.
Small Footprint, Big Impact
Compact hatchbacks were nothing new to the Indian market at the time. But courtesy to their size, they also felt cramped inside. But the Swift packed in all the goodness of a compact hatchback still punching above its weight in almost all areas. For a starter, it had a great sense of space inside the cabin especially at the front. Maruti Swift petrol featured a power packed 1.3L petrol engine borrowed from Esteem which was a first, as all other hatchbacks in the market only had engines of 1L capacity and below. The fiat-sourced 1.3L Multijet diesel engine was introduced later. The advanced chassis and suspension set up made it stable at all speeds unlike other small cars in the market. It did all this while returning superior fuel efficiency figures compared to its competitors. Thus, it appealed to young and enthusiastic drivers, and families alike.
Timely Updates, Worthy Successors
Since the grand success of the first gen Swift, further generations extended upon the already established formula and added timely updates and fresh design cues. The 2nd iteration of Swift was launched in India in 2011 which improved upon its predecessor in terms of space and feature list. During this evolution, Swift became more family friendly with its softer ride and roomier back seat, while still retaining its daredevil nature underneath. The gen 2 got a much more modern K12 engine which returned better fuel economy and the diesel remained the same. The gen 3 swift was introduced in 2017 which underwent a notable design evolution. The sharp styling got softer giving it a European finesse. The 3rd Gen also became a popular model globally. All through the journey the swift stuck to its basic ethos of frugal fun. And now it’s time for its future with its 2024 iteration, i.e. the 4th gen.
Swift 2024
The excitement is sky high in the automotive community after the unveiling of the 2024 swift at 2023 Japanese Mobility show. As has been the case with the previous generations, the new Swift also sports an evolutionary design. It retains that classic Swift silhouette while adding premium design touches. The Swift new model is ready to throw a couple of surprises our way. It will be getting a host of latest tech new to the segment. Chances are, it might feature a new engine. And, a strong hybrid powertrain is also in the pipeline, giving the Indian market the Maruti Swift Hybrid. But one thing that is a surety is the moniker’s timeless appeal.
The current gen Maruti Swift on road price starts at ₹7.06 Lakhs.
