Suzuki Swift

The Suzuki Swift (Japanese: スズキ・スイフト, Suzuki Suifuto) is a subcompact car produced by Suzuki. The vehicle is classified as a B-segment marque in the European single market, a segment referred to as a supermini in the British Isles. Prior to this, the "Swift" nameplate had been applied and purchased from Swift Engineering (previously known as Swift Cars) to the rebadged Suzuki Cultus in numerous export markets since 1983 and became its own model since 2004. Currently, the Swift is positioned between Ignis and Baleno in Suzuki hatchback global lineup.

International (1983–2003)

The Suzuki Swift began in 1983 as a marketing and manufacturing rebadge of the Suzuki Cultus, a supermini (or subcompact) manufactured and marketed worldwide across three generations and four body configurations—three-door hatchback, four-door sedan, five-door hatchback and two-door convertible—and using the Suzuki G engine family.

The Swift was marketed in the Japanese domestic market (JDM) as the Cultus and elsewhere as the Suzuki Swift, Suzuki Forsa, Chevrolet Swift, Chevrolet Sprint and Sprint Metro, Geo and Chevrolet Metro, Pontiac Firefly, Maruti 1000, Holden Barina and Subaru Justy. Versions of the second generation Cultus were also produced until 2007 in India and the car remains in production until 2016 in Pakistan and China. For more information on the initial versions of the Swift, see: Suzuki Cultus.

Japan (2000–2006)

In Japan, the Swift nameplate was introduced in 2000 as a replacement for the Suzuki Cultus. Outside Japan, the "Suzuki Ignis" name was used. Both three- and five-door hatchback body styles were offered, although the three-door was not offered as part of the regular lineup in Japan.

The Swift was powered by a new generation of Suzuki inline-four gasoline engines, the M family. Engine displacements of 1.3- and 1.5-litres were offered, both with a five-speed manual transmission or optional four-speed automatic. The vehicle was available with either front- or four-wheel drive. Vehicles fitted with the 1.3-litre engine were designated HT51S, with the 1.5-litre version assigned HT81S.

The three-door body variant formed the basis of the Swift Sport in Japan, or Ignis Sport in export markets. Introduced in 2003, it featured redesigned bumpers and was fitted with a higher-output version of the 1.5-litre engine, producing 115 PS (85 kW; 113 hp). The Sport ceased production in 2005, with the regular Swift (1.3-liter SE-Z trim) remaining until 2006 and sold side by side with the first generation global version Swift since November 2004.

First generation (RS; 2004)

The global version of the first generation Swift[2] was debuted at the Paris Motor Show in September 2004. The design of the Swift was previewed on the Concept S and Concept S2 concept cars at auto shows, in the years leading up to its launch.[3] This generation of the Swift marked a significant departure with the previous Cultus-based models, with Suzuki redesigning the vehicle as less of a "low price alternative" subcompact and more of a "sporty" subcompact. The Swift's design and driving characteristics focused on the European market with its chassis refined through a road-testing program across Europe.[11]

The first generation Swift has received four stars out of five ratings in the Euro NCAP crash tests.[12] It also was awarded 2006 Semperit Irish Car of the Year in Ireland.

Since its global launch in 2005, which was kicked off with a marketing campaign fronted by the footballer Cristiano Ronaldo in many European countries, the Swift has recorded above forecast sales in most markets. In Japan, sales figures have been twice the forecast and in many European markets, the model has been a runaway success.

The Swift was available with 1.3- and 1.5-litre petrol engines, rated at 91 PS (67 kW; 90 bhp) and 102–110 PS (75–81 kW; 101–108 hp), respectively. It was produced in Hungary, India, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan and by Chang'an Motors in China. In most market, only the five-door body is available, and a four-wheel drive is an option for the 1.3- and 1.5-litre petrol engines. A 92 PS (68 kW; 91 bhp) 1.2-litre engine fitted with an automatic continuously variable transmission (CVT) was offered in front-wheel drive only. In Europe, the Swift was launched in three- or five-door hatchback forms, with 1.3- and 1.5-litre petrol engines, and a 1.3-litre DDiS turbodiesel engine supplied by Fiat. Both the 1.3-litre and 1.5-litre petrol models are available with four-wheel drive and hold the chassis numbers, ZD11S and ZD21S.

Pak Suzuki Motor Company Limited started producing the first generation Swift in November 2009 and only available with 1.3-litre M13A petrol engine and paired with either 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmissions. The first generation Swift was discontinued in Pakistan in August 2021.

In Indonesia, the earlier Swift was imported from Japan and from 2007 to 2011, it was assembled locally at Suzuki Indomobil Motor's production plant in Bekasi, West Java. It was only offered with a 1.5-litre M15A petrol engine, mates with either 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmissions. There were several special editions with Swift Sport bumpers, sold as GT (2007), GT2 (2009) and GT3 (2010), respectively. There was also a special edition called GTS with body kits launched in July 2009.[16]

Swift Sport (RS416; 2005-2012)

In October 2005, Suzuki launched the Sport version of the new Swift in Japan named Swift RS, and in September 2006 the model was introduced in most European markets. Named "Swift Sport", it is powered by an enhanced M16A unit, a high-revving 1.6-litre, naturally aspirated DOHC VVT four-cylinder engine with an 11.1:1 compression ratio, high lift cams, forged pistons, and strengthened valve springs. The 1.6-litre engine produces 125 PS (92 kW; 123 bhp) and 148 newton-metres (109 lb⋅ft) torque. At 3,765 mm (148.2 in), the car is 70 mm (2.8 in) longer than the standard Swift. The Swift Sport features sportier bumpers and spoilers, a stiffer suspension, twin exhaust pipes, red sport seats (with Recaro seats optional) and four-wheel disc brakes on 16-inch wheels. The European Swift Sport features five-speed manual transmission, the three-door body variant, 17-inch wheels (16-inch also available) and electronic stability control (ESC).

Second generation (AZG; 2010)

The second generation Swift was unveiled on 26 August 2010. It went on sale in Japan on 18 September 2010. The second generation Swift is being produced at Suzuki's plant in Hungary started on 11 June 2010 and it will be supplied across Europe. The new car has its wheelbase extended by 50 millimeters over the previous generation and has many visual updates. While the new car looks different from the old one, its design is an evolution of the radical first generation styling with a longer and more rounded appearance. During September 2010, Suzuki in the United Kingdom released the second generation Swift onto British roads.

The new generation is expected to feature a 1.2-litre VVT petrol engine (K12B) developing 92 PS (68 kW; 91 bhp). In some countries, the second generation of Suzuki Swift uses a 1.4-litre VVT petrol engine (K14B) which produces 95 PS (70 kW; 94 bhp).

In Thailand, the Swift is built locally since March 2012 and is part of the Thai government's eco-car program. The car is sold with a CVT automatic transmission on GA, GL and GLX variants; GA and GL variants are also offered with a five-speed manual transmission without anti-lock brakes.[32] Another variant with Japanese market RS bodykit was later added as RX trim.

For the Indonesian market, the Swift was launched on 20 September 2012 at the 20th Indonesia International Motor Show and sold in two trim levels, GL and GX, with manual or automatic transmission. The GS trim level was added on 6 June 2015, which was launched at the 2015 Jakarta Fair. Sales of the Swift in that market were ended in April 2017. It was replaced by the Baleno hatchback in August 2017, which is slightly bigger and positioned in the same class as the Swift, as the third generation Swift is not released in that market.

For the Malaysian market, the Swift was released on 12 July 2013.

Swift Sport (AZG416; 2012–2017)

The 2012 Suzuki Swift Sport is powered by a revised 1.6-litre four-cylinder (M16A) engine producing 136 PS (100 kW; 134 bhp) and 160 N⋅m (120 lb⋅ft). The 2012 model comes with the option of a six-speed manual transmission or a high performance CVT transmission with seven-speed manual mode and paddle shifters.

Riding on lightweight 17-inch alloys, the car now features a rear spoiler, a large front grille, body kit, new HID headlights and rear lighting clusters. The ground clearance is also lower than the normal version. Inside, designers included leather bucket seats with sporty red stitching and a "Sport" mark, a new steering wheel, and different instrumentation.

In January 2014, The Swift Sport was updated to include a 6.1-inch combined satnav/dab radio infotainment touchscreen as standard.