WionDrive News Desk 
Maruti Suzuki’s premium hatchback Swift has reached a milestone in India with over 3 million units sold. Since its debut and across its four generations, Swift has earned a loyal following among enthusiasts known as ‘Swifters’. The recent launch of the new Swift in May has further solidified its legacy, setting new standards in performance and style.
Reflecting on this achievement, Partho Banerjee from Maruti Suzuki India Limited expressed gratitude, noting that the Swift embodies fun, freedom, and excitement for its owners. Launched in 2005, the Swift was revolutionary with pioneering features like climate control, airbags, and ABS, inspired by the Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle. Its dynamic driving experience and enduring appeal have made it a top choice in India, its largest market. Globally, Swift has surpassed 6.5 million sales mark.
The Swift’s success story in India includes hitting 1 million sales in 2013, doubling to 2 million by 2018, and now crossing the 3 million mark. Each iteration has upheld the Swift’s core values, enhancing its sporty profile with innovations like the efficient Z-Series engine and advanced safety technologies. Today, the new Swift continues this tradition with its spirited design and comprehensive safety features, reinforcing its status as one of the country’s best-selling premium hatchbacks.
Weeks before the India launch of the latest Swift, Japan NCAP tested the car and it received 4 star rating. The Japan New Car Assessment Programme is drastically different to the Euro NCAP, and its sister programmes like Global NCAP and ASEAN NCAP. Speaking of its result, the new Swift scored 99% score in the preventive safety performance, receiving 88.70 points out of 89 points. However, it fared slightly worse in the collision safety performance, with a score of 81%, receiving 81.10 out of 100 points.
The preventive safety performance test includes multiple tests such as autonomous emergency braking systems for cars, cyclists and pedestrians (day and night time), lane departure prevention system test, high-performance headlights test and pedal misapplication prevention test. The new Swift scored 5 out of 5 stars in all the aforementioned tests, save for the pedal misapplication prevention test, scoring 4 out of 5 stars.
