The Epic New Swift - All New Swift 2024 |

In India the B2 hatchback segment used to account for the highest unit sales among all segments. However, in recent years, hatchbacks have been losing ground to other body styles, particularly crossovers. That being said, some hatchbacks are still strong sellers due to their reputation and emotional connection with buyers. One such hatchback is the Maruti Swift.

The Swift has been one of the company's best-selling models making it a very important car in the product portfolio. Maruti has regularly managed to sell more than 15,000 units per month and the Swift is one of the few driver's cars left in the segment. Since its launch, more than 29 lakh units of the car have been sold in the country. In recent years, its only challenger has been Maruti's more premium hatchback - the Baleno, which was updated in 2022.

The Baleno offers more practicality with a better cabin, and boot space and also uses a more powerful engine. But in comparison with the Swift, it isn't as much fun to drive. The other strong performer in the segment - the ‪@HyundaiMotorGroup‬ i20, got a lot more expensive with the generation change in 2020 and as a result, fell down the sales chart. This kept the demand for the third-gen Swift, which was launched in 2018, high. That being said, it was time for the Swift to get a generation change which would help keep buyers interested. And finally, in 2024, Maruti has launched the fourth-gen Swift in the country.

While the design of the car has been tweaked, it feels more like an evolution of the third-gen car rather than an all-new product. The new car is 20 mm longer and 10 mm shorter in height than the outgoing one. However, the width and wheelbase are identical to the old car. The boot space is slightly lesser (265 litres vs 268 litres), but the minimum kerb weight has increased.

The big change comes in the engine department. The car is available with a new Z-Series 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder petrol unit that puts out 81 BHP and 112 Nm. This is 1 cylinder, 8 BHP and 1 Nm lesser than the K-series engine of the outgoing car. Coming to transmissions, like before, there is a 5-speed MT and 5-speed AMT to choose from.

Maruti Suzuki has invested Rs. 1,450 crore in developing the new Swift, including localising the new Z-Series engine.