I read that this company came into existence with a group of people who had nothing but a �World Car Guide� in their hand. After some failed attempts with other manufacturers, Indian Government finally decided Suzuki as it�s JV partner in designing and developing a small car for India. Maruti Udyog Limited, was thus born and with that deal, Suzuki had struck gold, which it would realize almost two decades later. After almost 25 years of existence, nay �sheer dominance� of the Indian automotive market, Maruti (now Maruti-Suzuki) finds itself in an enviable position. It holds a vice-like grip of the Indian market and commands a 54% market share in the world�s second fastest growing auto industry. Whenever Hyundai and Tata try to gain market share by posting higher sales numbers, Maruti-Suzuki grows more than that and makes a mockery of the competition.
The model contributing to all this success in the recent years is the ever desirable Swift. During it�s launch, it came as a whiff of fresh air from a company which has hitherto made efficient and practical but dull and tinny cars. This was the first ever model launched by Maruti simultaneously with it�s international debut. And the public reaction and response was there for Maruti and it�s competitors to see. Now, imagine this. A car, after almost 5 years of it�s launch, still commands a 2 month waiting list in the market. A car, along with its sedan version Swift Dzire, is the largest selling model in the Indian market. A car, which at the end of it�s life cycle and when about to be replaced, still looks so fresh and appealing. The Swift is all the above and more for Maruti-Suzuki.
And that�s why, when Suzuki unveiled the images of the all-new next generation Swift in the web, it has caught the attention and frenzy of the people. If there was one car model which had a huge success story written on it even before it�s launch, or heck, even before any news about it from the manufacturer itself, it should undoubtedly be this. The new Swift, in all probability should see the light of the day by next year and I am sure it�s going to rewrite the sales book records. And not wanting to spoil an already great design, Suzuki has played safe by making this new Swift an evolution of the existing model. While doing so, Suzuki has also addressed the only grouse that most of the existing Swift owners had - less passenger space in the rear. The new Swift has grown up in size and it looks the part too. Having said that, I think, if the rear styling of the present Swift was acceptable, the rear of the new model looks quite ugly to many, going by the response in automotive forums across the world. Nevertheless, it�s a great new car that�s going to come at a great price.
With the impending launch of the Kizashi, Suzuki�s sporty executive sedan, the sun is shining brighter than ever for Maruti-Suzuki. And that�s when all the manufacturers are making a bee-line to grab a foothold in this market.
