What was first showcased as a Suzuki World Car concept back at the 2002 Paris Motor Show, has become nothing short of an icon for India’s largest car maker, Maruti Suzuki. Today, the company announced yet another milestone where sales of their best selling mid-size hatchback, Swift is concerned. Maruti Swift sales in India have crossed the 1.3 million mark (or 13 lakh units).
It was May 2005 when Maruti Suzuki India launched the new Swift hatchback at a starting price of just Rs 3.87 lakhs (top end price Rs 4.85 lakhs. Today price ranges from Rs 4.57 lakhs to Rs 6.11 lakhs). At the time of launch, Maruti had said that they have a production capacity of about 200 units a day (about 6,000 units a month) for Swift; today Swift sales average at 18,000 units monthly (600 units a day).
Swift was launched by Maruti to rival the likes of Hyundai GetZ, Fiat Palio and Chevrolet Corsa Sail. Interestingly, none of these three cars survived in the Indian auto industry.
Initially, launched only with a petrol engine, Maruti Swift sales crossed 1 lakh units in India by Jan 2007. Later in 2007, Maruti introduced a diesel variant of Swift. The sales increased even further. By March 2008, the company sold 2 lakh units of Swift in India. In Feb 2009, sales crossed 3 lakhs, Jan 2010 saw sales crossing 5 lakh mark, Sep 2013 saw sales cross 10 lakh mark, and finally, April 2015 saw sales cross 13 lakh mark.
Of Swift hatchback’s total sales globally, India accounts for more than 45% sales.
Over the years, Maruti has also upgraded the Swift on a regular basis. The first upgrade came in 2010 in the form of a minor tweaks. August 2011 saw Maruti completely upgrading the Swift, though it continued to carry the same design. The latest update came in October 2014, which saw engine and design tweaks, resulting in better fuel efficiency.
To celebrate the new milestone, Maruti Suzuki has announced month long celebrations, during which they intend to get in touch with existing Maruti Swift owners across India for engaging in fun activities.
