Sayonara to the current Maruti Suzuki Swift

It’s official! The current generation Maruti Suzuki Swift has been finally put to rest. The last production model of the second generation Swift rolled off the assembly line in Manesar on 23 December. The farewell message read – “Last Swift:-E07460 Glorious Journey Ends here… For new beginning… Great Car by Great Team Date:-23-Dec-2017 Bye Bye:-Swift”.

The Swift badge has been India’s hottest hatchback on sale since its introduction back in the year 2005. The second generation was introduced in 2012 with better cosmetics and added elements both inside and outside to give the car a fresh appeal. The car has been rocking the sales chart every single month even after being on sale for more than a decade. It averages between 10,000 units to 15,000 units every month which goes to show what a commendable position the Swift holds in the Indian car market. 

The Swift was available with two powertrain options – a frugal 1.2-litre K-series petrol engine and a tried and tested 1.3-litre Multijet diesel engine. The former produces 85bhp/114Nm while the latter does 74bhp/190Nm. Interestingly, both engines are mated to a five-speed manual gearbox and Maruti never offered an automatic transmission of the Swift in all its years of service.

Both the previous iterations of the Swift have won the prestigious Indian Car of the Year Award (ICOTY). The first one was in 2006 and the other one, six years later, in 2012. The hatchback received its last major update in 2014 and has been soldiering on since then with special editions and added features.

The suspension of the production of current Swift is an indication that the carmaker is prepping up for the New Swift. The hatchback is expected to make its Indian debut next year. The new Swift is more modern with a new platform, revamped styling and will have additional segment-first features as well. A few interesting elements which make up the new Swift include the floating roof effect and repositioned rear door handles. Based on the new lighter Heartect platform, the Swift will carry forward the powertrain option, but hopefully with the option of an automatic transmission as well, this time around.