The palpable anxiety that has been building over the arrival of Maruti Suzuki's popular hatchback Swift in its new avatar could soon be over. The all-new Swift, which was unveiled at 87th edition of Geneva Motor Show in March this year, could make its debut in India as early as February next year.
While the new Swift is expected to make its public debut in the country at the upcoming Auto Expo 2018 in February, there are also reports on the web suggesting that new hatchback could be launched in the same month. Earlier in September, a prototype of the new generation Swift was spotted on the Indian soil. Interestingly, it was the hybrid avatar of the hatchback.
There is also the possibility of having a Swift Hybrid for the Indian market while other hybrid cars are finding it difficult to navigate the challenges imposed by pricing after the GST (Goods and Services Tax) and the cess on such models took an upward swing.
In its new avatar, the Swift is based on the light and rigid new-generation Heartect platform. The design of Swift is new and flaunts a new hexagonal grille at the front along with sweptback headlamps with LED daytime running lights (DRLs). The side remains identical to the current Swift and wears blacked-out A-pillar. The new Swift rides on new diamond-cut allow wheels. At the rear, the hatchback gets new LED tail lamps with new bumper and bootlid.
The new model is expected to get advanced features like a flat-bottom steering wheel with controls, twin-pod instrument cluster and touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto, Bluetooth AUX, USB and Apple CarPlay connectivity.
The India-specific Swift is rumoured to continue with the 1.2-litre petrol and 1.3-litre diesel engines. Both mills are expected to be offered with the choice of manual and automatic options. Rumours are also rife that the Swift could also get Boosterjet engine and AMT (Automated Manual Transmission) options in India.
Source: ACI
