The Hindu Business Line : Maruti to switch to top gear with Swift

Maruti Udyog Ltd is getting ready to move on to the fast track with its premium compact car Swift, built on a new platform. It is ready and waiting to be rolled out four months from now.

Top company sources told Business Line that the car, which will be launched across markets in India, China and Hungary in the next few months, was being extensively tested for quality and other parametres.

"We are preparing for the launch which is still four months away, and testing is on just now," the Managing Director, Mr Jagdish Khattar, told Business Line on Friday.

Sources said the company will roll out the premium hatchback, which will compete with Hyundai Getz and Palio, in the 1,000 cc and 1,300 cc versions. The car, based on Suzuki Concept S showcased in 2002, is expected to be a volumes grosser for Maruti, which is expecting to sell 50,000 units in the first year, sources said.

"The company is thinking of pegging it in the Rs 4 lakh-Rs 5 lakh range," sources said. Mr Khattar, however, refused to comment on the variants or price of the car.

The latest version of Swift was showcased in September at the Paris Motor Show.

"We are working on the various fronts just now including localisation and it is too premature to talk of pricing just yet. We are working towards adding at least 2 per cent more localisation every month, so a lot of changes are likely till the actual launch," said Mr Khattar.

Sources said the car will roll into the market with a localisation content of not less than 70 per cent.

Mr Khattar said the launch of Swift would be a significant chapter in Maruti Udyog's evolution as a carmaker. "Twenty of our engineers were at Suzuki through the entire design and development stage of the car and that kind of learning is great for our future plans for India," he said.

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