Maruti Swift waiting periods to drop sharply as new factory begins production

The 3rd generation Maruti Swift hatchback is selling like hot cakes in India. Each month, Maruti Suzuki ships out  more than 15,000 units of the Swift to dealer stockyards across India. While the Swift is available off the shelf in  Delhi, the case is quite different in most other parts of the country, where waiting periods range between 4-8 weeks.  Soon, the Maruti Swift will be available across India with little or no waiting times.

This is because of the fact that Maruti Suzuki has just begun producing the Swift from its second production facility  at Sanand, Gujarat. The new factory is capable of producing 250,000 cars each year. This takes Maruti’s installed  capacity in Gujarat to 500,000 units. The first factory, which started production more than a year ago, also has a  capacity to produce 250,000 cars/year, and builds Swift and Baleno hatchbacks.

The higher production capacity will allow Maruti to not only cater to the Indian market but also export the Swift to  many other countries around the world. The two factories that have been set up at Gujarat are owned by Suzuki – the Japanese parent of Maruti Suzuki. In 2020, another factory will join this line-up, taking Suzuki’s total production  capacity to 750,000 cars. Maruti’s factories in Gurgaon and Manesar have a yearly car production capacity of 1.5  million units currently.

Maruti is planning a slew of new car launches in the coming years, and these factories are expected to run at full  clip. The automaker’s sales in India have shown a steady increase with each passing year, and this has prompted  Maruti to continuously increase production. The third factory at Gujarat is expected to produce electric cars – the  first of which will be the all-new WagonR’s electric variant. The WagonR Electric will be launched in India during  2020. On-road testing has already begun in full earnest.

Coming back to the Maruti Swift, the hatchback is available with two engine options, and is built on the HEARTECT  platform. The HEARTECT platform uses high tensile steel extensively, which has resulted in a lighter weight and a  stiffer body structure. Due to the lighter weight, the 3rd generation Swift is peppier than the older model, not to mention more fuel efficient. The car’s petrol engine is a 1.2 liter K-Series unit with 82 Bhp-113 Nm while the diesel  engine is a 1.3 liter Fiat Multijet unit with 74 Bhp-190 Nm.

Both engines get 5 speed manual and AMT options, making the Swift a very well-rounded car in its segment. The car also gets airbags and ABS as standard across variants. The latest version of the Swift is more spacious than the  older version, and also offers more boot space. Prices of the new Swift start from Rs. 4.99 lakhs. The car’s chief  competitor is the Hyundai Grand i10, which will see a full model change later this year. With the new Grand i10 just months away from launch, Maruti could pack the new Swift with more features later this year.