Maruti Suzuki Swift, the brand that has transformed the Indian car
landscape, turns five tomorrow. The Maruti Swift was launched in India
on May 25, 2005. The car seemed destined to succeed from the day it was
born. Nearly 16,000 customers had placed advance orders for the Maruti
Swift even before it was unveiled and its price made public. It won a
bagful of awards that year, including all the car-of-the-year awards in
India.
The international editions of
Maruti Swift similarly won awards in markets across the world. In these
five years, more than 4.5 lakh Maruti Swift cars have been sold in
India.
In
the early days of the brand, nearly 5,000 Maruti Swift cars were
produced every month; an ambitious number for a car in that segment. In
these five years, the Company has had to regularly scale up capacity and
production to meet unmet demand for brand Swift.
Today, driven by customer demand, Maruti Suzuki manufactures over 12,000 Swift cars in a month (including the diesel versions).
Maruti Swift: New Design Philosophy
The
Swift is a landmark model for many reasons. As Suzuki Motor
Corporation’s first World Strategic Model, it ushered in the new design
philosophy of the Japanese small car giant. Bold, aggressive, distinctly
European, sporty and curvy, it was unlike anything that Suzuki had
offered until then. When Maruti Suzuki launched the Swift in India, it
was instantly appreciated by Indian customers.
The
same sporty and dynamic design philosophy is evident in the subsequent
four World Strategic Models – Grand Vitara, SX4, Ritz and A-star – that
Maruti Suzuki has launched since then.
Maruti
Suzuki’s Managing Executive Officer (Marketing and Sales), Mayank
Pareek said, “The Swift has captured the imagination of Gen-next. It
symbolises Maruti Suzuki’s efforts to be in step with a changing India.
Its sporty styling and peppy performance made it an instant hit, and
these attributes remain unsurpassed even today.”
Maruti Swift: The Indian story
The
Swift is also special because this was the first time when Maruti
Suzuki engineers worked in collaboration with Suzuki engineers in Japan
to design and develop this car. Thus, the Swift launched in India was a
global model, sensitive to requirements of Indian customers.
The
knowledge and exposure gained with the Swift enhanced the R & D
capability of Maruti Suzuki, and enabled the Company to launch more
India-sensitive models and face lifts in these last five years.
Maruti Swift: Defining a New Segment
Five
years ago, it was hard to conceive that customers of small cars in
India would be willing to pay a premium for a small car. The Swift
successfully challenged that perception and defined what is now
popularly known as the premium A2 segment of the Indian car industry.
Maruti Swift and the New India:
Part
of the reason for Swift’s success is that its journey coincided with a
transforming India. In the last five years, customers have become more
assertive, aware and demanding. They seek the best the world has to
offer, while retaining ‘Indian’ values of reliability, fuel efficiency
and low cost of ownership. The Swift has successfully balanced these
demands.
The Maruti Swift Diesel:
Brand
Swift’s defining role is extended to the diesel segment as well.
Launched in January 2007, it was instantly lapped up by customers who
sought refinement and performance alongside the fuel economy of diesel.
With the DDiS engine (Europe’s Engine of the Year 2005), the Swift
Diesel marked Maruti Suzuki’s re-entry into the diesel car market.
The Cult car:
Over
the years, customers have conferred an iconic status to brand Swift.
Little wonder that the Swift Life online Community is fast gaining
popularity. The passionate Swift customers engage among themselves and
with their favourite brand online and offline.
Maruti Swift and World Record:
As
a part of Swift’s birthday celebrations and to commemorate the
landmark, on Sunday, May 30, Maruti Suzuki will attempt to set a new
World Record by bringing together the largest gathering of Swift cars in
three cities – Delhi NCR at Gurgaon, Mumbai and Sriperumbudur at
Chennai – simultaneously. This will be a first-of-its kind attempt in
India and of its size anywhere in the world.
A snapshot of Maruti Swift's sterling performance:
1st One lakh units in under 21 months
2nd One lakh units in under 13 months, fastest 2 lakh units sales among all cars
3rd One lakh units in under 11 months, fastest 3 lakh units sales among all cars
4th One lakh units in under 11 months
Only car in A2 + segment to achieve over 1 lakh unit sales per year consecutively for last two years.
As
per the ARAI certified fuel efficiency, the Swift Diesel with its
compact 1.3 litre DDiS engine delivers 21 kmpl, while the Swift Petrol
with next generation K Series 1.2 litre engine has a fuel efficiency of
17.94 kmpl.
Source: Maruti Suzuki India
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