Maruti will launch its new Swift at the 2018 Auto Expo

The new Swift will be built on a tweaked version of the platform shared with the likes of the Baleno and Ignis. Codenamed YSD, the car will be launched in early 2018 at the Auto Expo. Keen to keep the Swift’s sporty character intact, this new platform – codenamed 'Heart-tect' – will be much stiffer, and even lighter. This will allow it to deliver extremely sporty performance and handling on the road.

The car sold here will be a heavily localised as compared to its European and Japenese counterparts. To suit our roads, it will have a much higher ground clearance, which might spoil its appearance a little but will be a much more comfortable ride. The new Swift is targeted at a much bigger audience. Maruti has chosen not to sell it through the Nexa dealerships due to the new brand’s mostly upmarket reach. While there are currently around 200 Nexa dealerships nation-wide, the
number of regular dealerships is close to 1000.

While the Indian specs are yet to be confirmed, at a later stage, the Swift will probably be powered by the new Boosterjet direct-injection turbo-petrol engine. The car will also come equipped with an automatic gearbox, both for petrol and diesel powered versions. Maruti is currently even considering working on an even sportier version and driver-oriented model of the Swift.