Next gen Maruti Swift to be 'radical', hybrid variant likely - Report

12/03/2015 - 10:28 Maruti Swift, Maruti Suzuki Anjan Ravi

The new Swift could get the new Boosterjet engine.

Suzuki is woking on the next generation of its popular B-segment hatchback, the Swift, and a launch in international markets will take place in 2016. While details on the new Swift are still scarce, a report on am-online says that the car will be "radical", which we're guessing refers to the design.

2015 Maruti Swift facelift front press shot — The current generation Swift was a design evolution of its predecessor.

Suzuki showcased the iK-2 concept at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month, but that concept will spawn a hatchback larger than the Swift. Codenamed 'YRA', the premium hatchback is expected to launch in India in the second half of this year.

Coming back to the Swift, a previous report stated that Suzuki's engineers were working on a low-cost hybrid technology for the new Swift, and that the company's Indian arm, Maruti Suzuki, was also keen on having it in a bid to appeal to the fuel economy conscious buyer.

Downsizing being the market trend, Suzuki could employ its new 1.0-liter turbocharged petrol engine (Boosterjet) announced for the iK-2 concept.

2015 Maruti Swift Dzire side studio image — The Swift platform is of utmost importance to Maruti, as it underpins a range of cars including the Dzire, Ritz and Ertiga.

Also read: Maruti Swift Range Extender showcased at GMX2015 Delhi

The new generation Swift would arrive in India in late-2016 or in 2017. Having received a minor facelift with fuel efficiency improvements in October 2014, Maruti would like to have the current generation model in the market for 2 years at least.

Competitors: Hyundai Elite i20, VW Polo, Honda Jazz, Tata Bolt, Fiat Punto Evo
Launch date: 2016 in Europe

[Source - Am-Online]