Photo: Suzuki
With a whole new model just around the corner, Suzuki has announced today that, as of early April, it has produced 5 million units of the Swift.
It took the Japanse automaker 11 years and roughly 5 months to make this many subcompacts.
Several factories including ones located in India and Japan assemble the Swift. Sales currently take place in 140 different countries and regions. Of the 5 million units, India bought the bulk, 54 percent to be more precise. Europe comes a distant second with 17 percent, followed by Japan with 10 percent and other markets with 19 percent.
The models sold in India are manufactured locally and have slightly different names: Maruti Swift and Maruti Swift Dzire, which is a weird-looking chopped sedan.
To wash away the ugly, we propose taking a quick look at the history of the Swift. Several concepts previewed the model, starting with the rally-inspired Concept S at the 2002 Paris Motor Show and culminating with the Concept Swift two years later.
In India, Maruti launched the car in May 2005 with a 1.3-liter engine, followed by a Fiat-sourced 1.3-liter MultiJet unit in 2007. Sales really took off and by May 2013, the Indians had already bought 1 million units. Right now, they're at 2.7 million, making this one of the most successful models in the segment.
Right now, Suzuki is busy developing the new generation of the Swift. Our recent spy photos suggest the car will become slightly longer and gain an AWD option. We also expect that the old engines will be replaced by downsized ones. Specifically, the 1-liter turbo used in the Baleno model will dominate the European lineup.
Of course, 5 million cars is a major sales landmark. But we suspect the announcement made today is directly linked to the imminent reveal of the Mk4 model.
Editor's note: It's hard to count how many Swift generations have existed. It seems Suzuki is ignoring the first one because it was sold as the Ignis outside of Japan. There are also several versions of something called "Cultus" between 1983 and 2000. You may also know that one as the Geo/Chevrolet Metro, but it was known as a Swift in some markets.
Several factories including ones located in India and Japan assemble the Swift. Sales currently take place in 140 different countries and regions. Of the 5 million units, India bought the bulk, 54 percent to be more precise. Europe comes a distant second with 17 percent, followed by Japan with 10 percent and other markets with 19 percent.
The models sold in India are manufactured locally and have slightly different names: Maruti Swift and Maruti Swift Dzire, which is a weird-looking chopped sedan.
To wash away the ugly, we propose taking a quick look at the history of the Swift. Several concepts previewed the model, starting with the rally-inspired Concept S at the 2002 Paris Motor Show and culminating with the Concept Swift two years later.
In India, Maruti launched the car in May 2005 with a 1.3-liter engine, followed by a Fiat-sourced 1.3-liter MultiJet unit in 2007. Sales really took off and by May 2013, the Indians had already bought 1 million units. Right now, they're at 2.7 million, making this one of the most successful models in the segment.
Right now, Suzuki is busy developing the new generation of the Swift. Our recent spy photos suggest the car will become slightly longer and gain an AWD option. We also expect that the old engines will be replaced by downsized ones. Specifically, the 1-liter turbo used in the Baleno model will dominate the European lineup.
Of course, 5 million cars is a major sales landmark. But we suspect the announcement made today is directly linked to the imminent reveal of the Mk4 model.
Editor's note: It's hard to count how many Swift generations have existed. It seems Suzuki is ignoring the first one because it was sold as the Ignis outside of Japan. There are also several versions of something called "Cultus" between 1983 and 2000. You may also know that one as the Geo/Chevrolet Metro, but it was known as a Swift in some markets.
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