Suzuki Auto will be uncorking the champagne in over 140 countries and regions this week as it celebrates a major sales milestone for its Suzuki Swift world car.
Brian Joss – The Swift, which was dubbed Suzuki’s “World Strategic Model’ when it was first introduced to the world in 2004, this week sold its unit number 5 000 000, while the sales pace of this popular model appears to be speeding up.
Suzuki produces the Swift in seven countries across the globe, including Japan, Hungary, India, Malaysia and Vietnam. It was crowned the Japanese Car of the Year in 2005 and recorded its first million Suzuki Swift sales in 2008, four years after its original introduction.
The two millionth Suzuki Swift was sold only three years later, in 2011, doubling to four million units a mere three after that in August 2014 and reaching five million units this month.
“Throughout its life cycle, the Swift has stayed true to its design philosophy of being stylish, sporty and fun. This distinctive character, combined with highly competitive pricing and a long list of standard features, is winning over more and more customers to the Swift,” says André Venter, divisional manager for sales and marketing at Suzuki Auto South Africa.
In South Africa, close to 14 000 people have taken ownership of their very own Swift, making it Suzuki Auto South Africa’s favourite model. All local Swift models offer a comprehensive list of safety features and luxuries, including ABS brakes, air conditioning, two airbags, power steering, an audio system with Bluetooth connectivity on all but the entry-level GA models and a service plan across the range.
The Swift was first introduced in South Africa in 2008, with the upgraded model appearing on local showrooms in 2011. The range and the wide appeal of the Swift were further enhanced in 2014 when Suzuki Auto introduced the frugal 1.2 litre engine option and the Suzuki Swift DZire sedan-version in South Africa.
Today, the Suzuki Swift offers South African customers one of the most comprehensive ranges of models, drivetrain and engine options in the subcompact segment. The Swift hatchback has a starting price of R145 500, while the range-topping Suzuki Swift Sport, with its sporty 100 kW 1.6 litre engine, costs R260 900.
The Swift hatchback range includes the lean burning 1.2 litre engine with 63 kW, a 1.4 litre 70 kW petrol engine, and the Sport’s 1.6 litre petrol engine. Customers can opt for a manual or automatic gearbox in either the 1.2 or 1.4 litre configuration, while the Sport model offers a close-shifting 6-speed manual gearbox.
