Maruti’s new Swift sedan is all set to hit the India n roads in February 2012. The Swift and Swift Dzire are the segment leaders in India and have been one of the company’s best sellers. Maruti plans to launch the new sub 4 metre Swift sedan in India in February 2012. Maruti looks to maximise returns from the new platform by working around the Government’s excise duty structure.
The Swift compact sedan will be the cheapest sedan from the Maruti stable. Swift 3.99 (3.99 metres long) will be sold alongside the existing variant (longer Dzire Sedan).
To be offered at a price lower by at least Rs 50,000 than Dzire’s, it will plug the gap with the new Swift hatch positioned below. The trial production has already been done and the new Swift 3.99 launch is timed with the production expansion at Maruti’s second manufacturing facility at Manesar, which until months back was in the midst of labour trouble.
By January, daily production at the second new assembly line at Manesar is being increased to 900 units, from the current 200, taking the total capacity to around 2,100 units a day.
Besides Maruti several carmakers have developed new body variants to take advantage of the dual excise duty slabs for passenger vehicles announced in the 2008-09 Budget. Tata Motors used this advantage first and launched the Indigo CS. Mahindra & Mahindra is also reportedly working on a three model plan with the Verito sedan (earlier Logan). Tata Motors is also working on the new Manza CS which will also debut in 2012 powered by a 1.2 petrol engine, 1.3 Quadraget and 1.4 TDi engine.
The cars under 4 metre attract a excise duty of 10% and should be powered either by less than a 1.2 petrol engine or 1.5 diesel engine.
