Maruti Suzuki, the country’s number one car maker said it has set a new Guinness Book of World Record by bringing together 342 Swift cars at a ‘car parade’ in Gurgaon.

Similar ‘car parades’ were held today simultaneously in Sriperumbudur and Mumbai but the world record was set at Gurgaon. As per the Guinness World Records, the earlier world record for maximum number of cars of a single model was set with 249 cars in New Zealand in October 2005.

Maruti Suzuki planned the feat to commemorate the Swift’s fifth birthday celebrations. The Swift was launched on May 25, 2005.

Maruti Suzuki has set a new Guinness Book of World Records by bringing together 342 Swift cars at a car parade in Gurgaon,” the company said in a statement. An equally enthusiastic gathering of Swift owners was witnessed at Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex grounds and at Sriperumbudur Test Tracks, near Chennai.

In each of these three cities, hundreds of Swift owners along with their families joined the unadulterated Sunday morning revelry and interacted with fellow car owners. For participants, Maruti Suzuki had several incentives, including free fuel and free service/accessories coupons for Swift owners.  The accompanying families, meanwhile, had a good time at the several interactive games kiosks at the venue.

Maruti Suzuki Managing Executive Officer (Marketing and Sales) Mayank Pareek said, “In a short period of five years, the trendy Swift has transformed the Indian car landscape and established itself as a ‘cult car’ of India. People across age groups and gender rate it as the most stylish and sporty car. Today’s world record is a testimony to the ever-growing popularity of the Swift. The new record is a victory for all the 4.5 lakh Swift owners.”

The Swift’s tryst with records started even before it was launched; the super-car had received an astounding 16,000 pre-launch bookings even before the car was unveiled or its price announced. 

• Best selling car in premium A2 segment
• Over 4.5 lakh units sold in five years
• Only premium A2 segment car with over 1 lakh units annual sales for two consecutive years
• Monthly average sales in current year : Over 12,000 units

In the early days of the brand, nearly 5,000 Swift cars were produced every month; an ambitious number for a car in that segment. In these five years, the company has had to regularly scale up capacity and production to meet unmet demand for brand Swift. Today, driven by customer demand, Maruti Suzuki manufactures over 12,000 Swift cars monthly, including the diesel versions.

New Design Philosophy

The Swift is a landmark model for many reasons. As Suzuki Motor Corporation’s first World Strategic Model, it ushered in the new design philosophy of the Japanese small car giant. Bold, aggressive, distinctly European, sporty and curvy, it was unlike anything that Suzuki had offered until then.

When Maruti Suzuki launched the Swift in India, its sporty styling and peppy performance made the car an instant hit with Gen-next Indians. These attributes remain unsurpassed even today. The super-car is a symbol of Maruti Suzuki’s efforts to be in step with a changing India.

The same sporty and dynamic design philosophy is evident in the subsequent four World Strategic Models – Grand Vitara, SX4, Ritz and A-star – that Maruti Suzuki has launched since then. 

Swift: The Indian story

The Swift is also special because this was the first time when Maruti Suzuki engineers worked in collaboration with Suzuki engineers in Japan to design and develop this car. Thus, the Swift launched in India was a global model, sensitive to requirements of Indian customers.

The knowledge and exposure gained with the Swift enhanced the R&D capability of Maruti Suzuki, and enabled the Company to launch more India-sensitive models and face lifts in these last five years.

Swift: Defining a New Segment
 
Five years ago, it was hard to conceive that customers of small cars in India would be willing to pay a premium for a small car. The Swift successfully challenged that perception and defined what is now popularly known as the premium A2 segment of the Indian car industry.

Swift and the New India

Part of the reason for Swift’s success is that its journey coincided with a transforming India. In the last five years, customers have become more assertive, aware and demanding. They seek the best the world has to offer, while retaining ‘Indian’ values of reliability, fuel efficiency and low cost of ownership. The Swift has successfully balanced these demands.

The Swift Diesel

Brand Swift’s defining role is extended to the diesel segment as well. Launched in January 2007, it was instantly lapped up by customers who sought refinement and performance alongside the fuel economy of diesel. With the DDiS engine (Europe’s Engine of the Year 2005), the Swift Diesel marked Maruti Suzuki’s re-entry into the diesel car market.   

Swift Life On-line community

Over the years, customers have conferred an iconic status to brand Swift. Little wonder that the Swift Life on-line community is fast gaining popularity. The passionate Swift customers engage among themselves and with their favourite brand online and offline.

A snapshot of Swift’s sterling performance

• 1st One lakh units in under 21 months
• 2nd One lakh units in under 13 months, fastest 2 lakh units sales among all cars
• 3rd One lakh units in under 11 months, fastest 3 lakh units sales among all cars
• 4th One lakh units  in under 11 months
• Only car in A2 + segment to achieve over 1 lakh unit sales per year consecutively for last two years.

The Swift Diesel with its compact 1.3 litre DDiS engine delivers 21.7 kilometers per litre, while the Swift Petrol with next generation K Series 1.2 litre engine has a fuel efficiency of 17.94 kilometers per litre. (Certified as per CMVR rule 115)

Check out these stories also:

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2. Maruti Suzuki India records highest ever annual sales
3. Maruti Suzuki unveils the next gen all new Swift variants
4. Maruti Suzuki to launch Ritz on May 15
5. Maruti Suzuki’s K-series engines power model growth