HIGHLIGHTS
The all-new 2018 Maruti Suzuki Swift is perhaps one of the most awaited launches of the year. Ever since the hatchback was unveiled in Japan in December, 2016, speculation has been rife as to when it will arrive in India. There was a strong buzz that it would hit Indian roads by 2017. Of course, that didn’t happen. But, for all those waiting to get their hands on the new Swift, there’s good news.
Bookings for the new Swift will open in the third week of January, a source who is directly involved with the launch told TOI. “The car will be officially launched at the Auto Expo in February, but pre-bookings will start from the third week of this month,” the source said. The Auto Expo is scheduled to be held in Delhi in early February
As far as the pricing is concerned, deliberations are still on and the company is yet to get a fix on the price, we were given to understand. However, the car is expected to be priced between Rs 5 lakh – Rs 8 lakh.
The third-generation Swift will compete with the likes of Ford Figo and HyundaiGrand i10. In terms of positioning within Maruti Suzuki’s own product line, it will be placed below the Baleno.
The Swift has been one of Maruti Suzuki’s most popular offerings, ever since the car launched over a decade back in 2005. Till date, the company has sold 17 lakh units of the car.
The 2018 Swift sports a completely different look compared to its predecessors, although it runs on the same 1.2-litre K-Series petrol and 1.3-litre DDiS diesel engines (same as its immediate predecessors). However, the company has likely tuned the engines and also has put a lighter, stiffer chassis to deliver more power along with improved fuel efficiency.
While Maruti Suzuki cars in India have been long known for their reliability and general ease of ownership –after sales service, spare parts, resale value, fuel efficiency, the works — they had over the years become notorious for not focusing as much on looks. However, that seems to be changing with most of their new offerings — be it the compact sedan Dzire, crossover S-Cross, or the hatchback Baleno– sporting contemporary good looks.
