Reference Auto

Maruti Suzuki has prudently priced its new Swift petrol version but even with a high pricing, the car maker could have garnered adequate numbers as the Swift has turned into an iconic brand with the model’s sales largely remaining immune to its pricing.

This new Swift petrol variant will surely trigger another round of price war in the hatchback segment, where car makers, to tide the recent downturn in the industry, are likely to pare prices further.

Even though the diesel models have been priced a tad on the higher side, the new Swift diesel is set to generate phenomenal response as just the Swift name will do the trick for Maruti Suzuki.

The new Swift will be priced between Rs 4.22 lakh and Rs 5.53 lakh for the petrol variant while the diesel version has been priced at a tad on the steeper side at Rs 5.17 lakh-Rs 6.38 lakh.

The new Swift is one of the rare cars that managed to stay immune to a moderately high pricing policy.

Maruti Suzuki has already received a whopping 50,000 bookings for the new Swift.

And, Maruti can justify the current pricing policy of the new Swift. Built on a new platform, Maruti’s hatchback now comes with improved fuel efficiency.

Well, it has a mind blowing 140 new features, some of which are entirely new for an entry-level variant, according to the company.

In the new Swift, the latest weight reduction techniques have aided the car maker’s engineers to do a bit of innovation so as to make the new Swift more fuel efficient — at 23 km/litre (6 per cent more) for the diesel version and 18.5 km/litre or 4 per cent more for the petrol variant.

Maruti has also rolled out the VVT engine technology in its petrol variant, which offers 87 PS of power, while the DDiS diesel engine comes with 75 PS of power.

From outside, it is easy to tell that the new Swift is bigger compared with the old model (90 mm longer and 5 mm wider). It is also 30 kg lighter. However, leg space seems to be almost equal to the current Swift.

The new Swift has a new dashboard and instrument panel and the plastic inside is of superior quality. The front lamps are substantially bigger.

Maruti Suzuki has bet big on the project as it knows response to the new Swift will remain buoyant even in the medium to long term.

Maruti Suzuki, which is planning to infuse a whopping Rs 550 crore into the new project, has sold over six lakh Swift cars within a span of six years (the Swift was launched in 2005).

A bullish Shinzo Nakanishi, Maruti Suzuki’s managing director and CEO, said, “We have rolled out the new Swift at a time when there is substantial demand for even the outgoing set of models. Owing to the Swift’s iconic status, we had to ensure that the brand continues to offer the latest and the best in features, design, performance and aspiration levels.”

He added, “We are ramping up production of the car to about 17,000 units in the next few months from the current 12,000 units. Our second production unit at Manesar in Haryana is likely to produce the new Swift from next month. This will help bring down the waiting period from the current 3-4 months to 2-3 months.”

The car maker plans to bring in the sedan version of the new Swift also but refused to set a time frame for the new sedan.

Buyers who want to lap up the new Swift must do so immediately, as they could get a bargain with the current pricing.

Maruti Suzuki has already received a whopping 50,000 bookings for the new Swift, which means it will have to scurry to meet deadlines and even if the car maker raises the price of the new Swift in the short to medium term (owing to its demand), sales will remain largely untamed.