Maruti Suzuki may launch Swift Sport in India

The Maruti Suzuki Swift became the highest selling model in the country over its younger sibling, the Alto, last month. The company has been consistently selling about 20,000 units a month for some time, but most of these are the diesels versions. Of course, it is mainly because of the petrol rates, but then again also because then there are few more interesting options like the Honda Jazz and the Volkswagen Polo. 

Maruti is now planning to launch the more powerful and attractive Swift Sport in India, hoping to make the car lot more lucrative to the petrol car buyers. But, before the petrolheads really rejoice, understand that this won’t be the same Swift Sport available in Europe that churns out meaty 135PS and 160Nm of torque though its M 16A 1.6-litre petrol engine. The current three-door Swift Sport was unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show last year and echoes the spirit of the original Mini with its cheap and cheerful outlook on performance motoring. The global Swift Sport has stiff-suspension, six-speed manual gearbox, 17-inch wheels and sporty body kit with projector headlamps. 

However, the one that might be launched here won’t have many of the above features. Firstly, it will be a five-door hatch and will also dump the M 16A petrol due to high import duties. It will retain the sporty body kit, without the projector headlamps though and might as well get a slightly stiffened suspension setup and some good looking alloys. We also hope this car also gets traction control system and enough features to drastically set it apart from the current model. 

The Swift Sport in India will possibly be mated to the new 1.4-litre K-series petrol engine from the Ertiga or the 1.6-litre engine used in the SX4. The car will compete against the VW group’s 1.6 Polo and the Fabia, but might cost a little more than the two. Needless to say that this car will be a clear winner in terms of looks, but it will really interesting to see if there will be enough takers for this car at a price range of Rs 7 to 8 lakh , when the same money can get you a seven-seater people carrier.