Maruti Suzuki's Swift upgrade to take on Hyundai's in-demand i20

Maruti Suzuki on Tuesday announced a significant engine upgrade and a bevy of new features for its top-selling premium hatchback Swift in order to challenge rival Hyundai’s new i20 that has seen strong demand with over 40,000 bookings since its launch in August. At Rs 4.42 lakh (petrol) and Rs 5.56 lakh (diesel), the starting prices for the new Swift is lower by almost Rs 50,000 over the new i20.

The Swift, currently the second top-selling car in the country with average monthly volumes of 17,000 units, will now be around 10% more fuel efficient in both its petrol and diesel versions. In terms of features, it gets push button engine start, electric retractable outer rear-view mirrors, reverse parking sensor and bluetooth connectivity for the audio system. It is also given a new bumper design and alloy wheels, and a new colour — Mysterious Violet.

RS Kalsi, executive director for marketing & sales, Maruti Suzuki India, said, “We have over 12 lakh proud Swift owners. With this change, we retain the DNA of the Swift and yet added features to make excitement come alive.”

On the back of changes in engine hardware leading to improved thermal efficiency, reduced frictional losses, Maruti is claiming fuel economy of 25.2 kmpl for the Swift diesel and 20.4 kmpl for the petrol variant. Power remains at 75PS for the 1,248cc DDiS diesel engine and 84.3PS for the 1,197cc K series VVT petrol engine.

The Swift was first launched in May 2005, with the second-generation model’s entry in August 2011. Till date, the Swift brand has sold over 10 lakh units while the Swift platform has spawned several other vehicles like the Dzire compact sedan, Ritz hatchback and Ertiga MPV. The Swift also competes with smaller volume models like the Volkswagen Polo, Nissan Micra and Tata Vista.

Maruti Suzuki India Limited

Hyundai Motor India Ltd.