The all-new 2018 Maruti Suzuki Swift, which is perhaps the year's most awaited car is finally here. Bookings are open and the car will officially be launched at the Delhi Auto Expo next month Feb 7.
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This is the third coming of the Swift, which has been one of Maruti Suzuki's most popular offerings -- clocking a whopping 17 lakh units in sales till date. The first generation rolled out in India in 2005, and over a decade later India's largest carmaker has once again reincarnated the old soul - which seems to be in no hurry to achieve 'nirvana', any time soon. In fact, in its latest avatar, it feels more youthful and more peppy than ever before.

​The car will be available in 12 variants and for the first time, Maruti will offer automatic transmission on the hatchback. The waiting period is said to be ranging from 6 weeks to 8 weeks depending on the variants. Earlier, Mr RS Kali, senior executive director of sales and marketing said that the all-new Swift will sell more than 15,000 units per month, which is more than what the previous generation Swift used to sell.

The all-new Swift comes with a host of changes to attract the buyers. It is the third generation Swift and is built on the lightweight HEARTECT platform. The vehicle is available with unique features like LED projector headlamps with LED DRLs that adds a very sharp and premium look to the vehicle. The Swift has also become wider and has 20mm longer wheelbase than the current version that makes it roomier.

1. It’s more spacious

Based on the Heartect platform, the new Swift is 40mm wider and boasts a 20mm longer wheelbase, along with a claimed 24mm more headroom. The result is a more spacious cabin. Adding to the practicality is the boot which – at 265 litres – is a good 58 litres larger than that of its predecessor. In terms of exterior dimensions, the new Swift is 3,840mm in length, 1,735mm in width and 1,530mm in height with a wheelbase of 2,450mm and ground clearance of 163mm.

2. The engines are carried over as is

While the new Swift looks distinctly different, things are more or less the same in the engine bay. The car will continue to be powered by the same 1.2-litre, 83hp/113Nm petrol engine and 1.3-litre 75hp/190Nm diesel engine as the outgoing Swift.

3. Automatic gearboxes are finally available…and on both engines

In keeping with the growing popularity of automatic gearboxes, the new Swift will get Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) variants for both the petrol and diesel engines. The AMT gearboxes are five-speed units, like the manual gearboxes they are based on. There is a catch, however – the automatic versions are not available in the fully loaded Z+ trim and are offered in mid-spec VXi/VDi and ZXi/ZDi form, only.

4. It is feature-and-equipment-loaded

The new Swift will come generously equipped with features and equipment, especially in the top-spec variant – SmartPlay infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, projector headlamps with LED DRLs, two-tonne alloy wheels, navigation, reverse camera, push-button start and automatic headlamps. In terms of safety, two airbags and ABS will be standard, across the range.

5. Bookings are now open
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Maruti has not officially launched the car yet, so we don’t have a definitive price; Maruti has, however, started accepted bookings for the new Swift with an initial payment of Rs. 11,000. The Swift is bound to be very popular – we wouldn’t be surprised if the wait time for deliveries stretches into months.

At first glance, it was a stylish Mercedes A-Class, and no one had any reason to doubt that the new red car racing through the roads of Northern Kerala was anything else.
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But it turns out to be a Maruti Baleno, a wannabe Mercedes, which was heavily modified to look like the luxury car.

The Regional Transport Officer (RTO) of  Tirur in Malappuram District has confiscated the car in question which was illegally modified.

According to authorities the original owner of the car had modified it, replaced the bumper, with a Mercedes Diamond grille, alloy wheels, head and tail lamps and sporty air vents and logo to the point that even Mercedes dealers found it difficult to identify it as an imposture.