4 Generations of Driving Exhilaration: Maruti Suzuki Swift Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing and Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said, 'The Swift is an icon in its own right. Celebrated by over 3 million customers in India alone, the Swift is an expression of fun and freedom. The Swift has set new benchmarks over the years with every new model, improving on the inherent 'fun-to-drive' DNA. This ever so special nature of the Swift has ensured that nearly one out of every four Swift owners come back to buy another Swift. Today, it enjoys an admirable 31% market share in its segment, contributing to over 10% of MSIL sales. On this special 20-year anniversary, we would like to thank all our customers for their unwavering love for brand Swift.'
Over its 20-year legacy, the iconic Swift has gone from strength to strength. Introducing a new dimension to the sporty hatchback segment in 2005, the Swift established itself as a phenomenon with its new-age design, and high-end features. In 2011, the 2nd Generation Swift was developed to be lighter and more agile, building on its credentials as a sporty hatchback. The 3rd Generation Swift in 2018 introduced high-tech features and appealed to evolving customer preferences. In 2024, the 4th Generation Epic New Swift introduced a new dimension to the cult styling of the Swift, and the new Z-Series engine, engineered for a new era of sustainable mobility.
The 4th Generation Swift stands out with its futuristic and sporty exteriors, featuring a wrap-around character line, glossy black front grille and smoky LED projector headlamps. The fun-to-drive nature of the Swift shines through when it comes to the interiors with a driver-oriented cockpit, flat-bottomed steering wheel, sporty asymmetrical instrument cluster dials and more.
Underscoring MSIL's commitment to offering enhanced safety for customers across all passenger vehicle segments, the Maruti Suzuki Swift is equipped with the ARENA Safety Shield. Consisting of an array of safety features, the ARENA Safety Shield includes 6 airbags, Electronic Stability Program+(ESP®), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Hill Hold Control, Reverse Parking Sensors, 3-Point seat belts and seat belt reminder, along with 3 years or 1 00 000 km warranty* for added peace of mind.
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Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Hindustan Times
20 Years of the Maruti Suzuki Swift: Decoding the appeal of an icon
Two decades after it was introduced to the Indian car market, the Maruti Suzuki Swift continues to chart in the top ten largest-selling cars in the country. Coming-in at 6th as recently as May 2025, the Swift clocked 14135 units, surpassing even the more humble and utilitarian WagonR. The Maruti Suzuki Swift has been on sale for two decades. Therein lies the appeal of the Swift, a car that marked a tectonic shift in consumer preferences and permanently altered the popular perception of hatchbacks. Today, a grand total of 2.5 million units have been sold in the country. Although its predecessors had plied on Indian roads – albeit in sedan form under the name Maruti 1000 – the Swift, as it was known globally, came to the country in 2005. Its Mini-esque design cues, compact proportions and international styling (the 2004 model was heavily influenced by European styling, unlike the likes of the WagonR which were distinctly Japanese) immediately set it apart from the existing crop of hatchbacks in the country. Said crop including barebones, utilitarian runabouts like the 800, the WagonR and to a certain extent, the Hyundai Santro. While the Santro also aimed to elevate the profile of the humble hatchback, it was still a practicality-oriented model whose chassis had not been tuned for sharp handling like the Swift. Shift in perception for Maruti Suzuki Packing the same 1.3-litre petrol engine found in the Maruti Suzuki Esteem, the Swift immediately found a fanbase among India's young and performance starved car buyers. For the first time Maruti Suzuki had put out a product that wasn't purely intended towards mobilising a family, but one that was focussing on driving pleasure and style. It marked a moment of maturation for both the car market and for Maruti Suzuki which, for the first time in over two decades, had a product oriented towards the youth. It helped Maruti evolve from a mass-market company into one capable of delivering emotional appeal and driving excitement. Evolution of the Swift The brand had already begun making advances towards lighter engines with the Zen (which featured an aluminium engine). The 1.3-litre petrol continued to serve in the first gen Swift, till it was replaced by a more frugal 1.2-litre K-Series engine in 2010. It immediately found favour in the country's urban tuning community, who retrofitted them with turbos, giving us the first taste of what a luke-warm hatchback should be like. The second-gen Swift also featured a diesel engine for the first time – a 1.3-litre unit sourced from Fiat. Praised for its reliability, fuel efficiency and performance, the turbocharged unit served for 13 years before BSVI norms rendered it ineligible for road use. It continues to remain one of the most popular engines in India. The first-generation Swift was introduced with a 1.3-litre engine from the Maruti Suzuki Esteem, By 2018, the generational update of the Swift was based on the brand's HEARTECT platform, which was lighter and came with the option of an AMT. It was also sufficiently packed with creature comforts to ensure that the Swift kept-up with the times and prioritised comfort. The fourth and current-gen Swift, featured a lighter and newer 1.2-litre Z-Series petrol engine. Although lower on power, the new Swift with its mild-hybrid tech and lighter frame, still remained peppy, but focussed more on offering optimum fuel efficiency (claimed fuel efficiency is 25.75 kpl). On the safety front, it comes equipped with six airbags as standard, along with ABS with EBD, electronic stability control (ESC), hill hold assist, a rear-view camera, and ISOFIX mounts for child the first time ever, the Swift also gets a factory-fitted CNG kit in an effort to appeal to the more economy conscious buyers who do not want to compromise on style or features – a consumer section that had to previously content with models like the Celerio and the WagonR. Trendsetter The premium hatchback segment in India owes its existence to the Swift. Sure, there were popular models like the Open Corsa Swing, but that had a cult following and was not a sales success. The Swift, which was based on an international platform, was heavily localised for India. It proved for the first time that international platforms could be adapted for Indian conditions, paving the way for other internationally-developed platforms like the Baleno hatchback, the Vitara Brezza and the Fronx. Even premium models like the Skoda Fabia found acceptance in India, partly thanks to the shift in perception caused by the Swift. High residual and recall value According to the brand's Senior Executive Officer Partho Banerjee, one out of every four Swift owners comes back to purchase another Swift, adding that the model constitutes over 10% of Maruti Suzuki's overall sales. The Swift's reputation for low maintenance costs, high fuel efficiency, and Maruti's unmatched service network made it a value-retention champion. Buyers knew they could depend on it — a crucial factor in India's price-sensitive market. (Parth Charan is an independent automotive journalist and writer who has written on cars, motorcycles and the automotive industry for the past 12 years. He lives in Mumbai.)
Business Standard
4 days ago
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Ind-Swift consolidated net profit rises 583.54% in the March 2025 quarter
Sales rise 7.15% to Rs 144.90 crore Net profit of Ind-Swift rose 583.54% to Rs 256.60 crore in the quarter ended March 2025 as against Rs 37.54 crore during the previous quarter ended March 2024. Sales rose 7.15% to Rs 144.90 crore in the quarter ended March 2025 as against Rs 135.23 crore during the previous quarter ended March 2024. For the full year,net profit rose 1891.92% to Rs 283.45 crore in the year ended March 2025 as against Rs 14.23 crore during the previous year ended March 2024. Sales rose 2.58% to Rs 515.23 crore in the year ended March 2025 as against Rs 502.25 crore during the previous year ended March 2024. Particulars Quarter Ended Year Ended Mar. 2025 Mar. 2024 % Var. Mar. 2025 Mar. 2024 % Var. Sales 144.90135.23 7 515.23502.25 3 OPM % -1.9910.86 - 4.469.73 - PBDT -4.4146.27 PL 31.4439.16 -20 PBT -11.5939.39 PL 7.9412.05 -34 NP 256.6037.54 584 283.4514.23 1892
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
MSIL to revamp chit fund biz through app, eyes Rs 10K-cr mkt
Bengaluru: Karnataka govt is revamping Mysore Sales International Ltd's (MSIL) chit fund operations aiming to generate up to Rs 10,000 crore annually in a move that seeks to formalise and scale up the state's presence in the informal savings market. Industries minister MB Patil held a meeting with MSIL officials late Tuesday evening to chart a new course for the state-owned entity. "The present chit fund business is roughly Rs 500 crore annually, while Kerala has an annual turnover of Rs 50,000 crore to Rs 70,000 crore. Karnataka's aim is to increase the business to Rs 10,000 crore," said an industries department official present at the meeting. To drive this transformation, the state will launch a mobile app and build a dedicated agent network to bring formal structure and transparency to the chit fund operations. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru MSIL managing director Manoj Kumar said the initiative will make chit funds safe, secure and accessible to all sections of society. "While MSIL was in the chit fund business for over two decades, it is only known to be a supplier of liquor in the state. Now, we're revamping our brand and opening MSIL chit funds, which will have a corpus of anywhere between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1 crore," he said. Kumar said the mobile app — already tested — is ready for rollout. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo It will allow members to manage subscriptions, track payments and handle accounts. "MSIL managed as much as Rs 500 crore through books till recently. Now, with the mobile application being developed, we expect it to be seamless and secure through digital transactions," he added. To extend its reach, MSIL will recruit agents at district and taluk levels. "We are considering enrolling retired bankers at the district levels to act as the foramen of the chit fund business and deploy agents with the incentive, apart from a 5% commission," Kumar said. Among the products planned is flagship Micro Chits, aimed at serving financially excluded sections of society. "The revamp is to ensure there is financial inclusion of those who cannot approach banks for credit or savings. In an unstable market, the Karnataka govt is leveraging its name for the chit funds to be floated by MSIL," said Patil. The state hopes that by bringing legitimacy and digital infrastructure to the chit fund space, MSIL can become a trusted financial platform — moving far beyond its liquor-retailing legacy.
