Once again Maruti Suzuki’s Swift was awarded the title of ‘Indian Car of the Year 2012’ (I-COTY) by JK Tyre. Before this, the first iteration of the Swift had received this prestigious title in 2006. Launched in May 2005, Swift has become the only car in India to be honoured with this award twice.
Maruti Suzuki had launched the New Swift in August 2011. It was introduced in Indian auto market when the original Swift was still one of the largest selling cars in the premium hatchback segment. The new version of Swift turned out to be even more popular, with more than one lac people booking it.
The manufacturer was pleased by bagging the coveted award, commenting, “Last year, many global car makers launched various cars in India. But it was Swift that was chosen for the Indian Car of the Year Award.”
Swift is the company’s first international strategic models that was rolled out in India and other countries. The auto manufacturer said that 25 engineers had collaborated with SMC engineers for developing the Swift.
According to the company, an entire new segment called ‘Premium Compact’ was formed in the industry with the launch of Swift. Notably, the premium compact segment witnessed the highest growth amid vehicle segments, riding high on the success of this car.
In its first 6 years, Swift enjoyed tremendous popularity among buyers, with the company selling more than 600,000 units in spite of numerous competitors in the market. This has continued with the newest edition of the Swift, which has booking period of up to 8 months.
