By Muhammed Hashim 
South Africa is a huge market for the made-in-India Maruti Suzuki cars and the 4th-generation Swift will be the next car on sale there
The Indian-made Maruti Suzuki Swift is about to enter South Africa with one key change. The Indo-Japanese car marque exports loads of products from India to South Africa. From there, these cars are further shipped to other African nations. Note that both India and South Africa have the steering wheel on the right side. Therefore, the changes needed to export in terms of layout are minimal. Swift is one of the most successful hatchbacks in India ever. It has done reasonably well in other international markets as well. For now, let us glance at the details of the Swift that is about to launch in SA.
Maruti Suzuki Swift in South Africa
The South African model won’t bear any major changes when it comes to the aesthetics, engine or features. However, the single major difference will be in terms of the transmission. While the 5-speed manual transmission will be on offer, people wanting an automatic will have the option to pick the CVT. In India, the only automatic transmission available with the Swift is the AMT. We know that CVTs are much smoother than the AMTs. However, the former is much more expensive. Anyway, the Swift in SA costs considerably more than India. For instance, the last-gen model on sale in SA has a starting price of R213,900 (approx. Rs 10.20 lakh INR). For reference, the starting price of the latest Swift in India is Rs 6.49 lakh, ex-showroom.
In terms of specifications, the new Maruti Swift will have the same engine as the Indian model. This means a new 1.2-litre 3-cylinder Z12E naturally aspirated petrol engine which is good for a decent 82 PS and 112 Nm of maximum power and torque. This engine offers an incredible mileage of 24.8 km/l for the manual and 25.75 km/l for the AMT. It will be interesting to see what the CVT iteration will offer. Apart from that, the top features include:
- 9-inch Touchscreen Infotainment System
- Part-Digital Instrument Cluster with Coloured MID
- Cruise Control
- SmartPlay Pro+ Suzuki Connect Functions
- Automatic AC with Physical Toggle Switches
- Wireless Charging
- Leather-Wrapped Steering Wheel with Multimedia Controls
- New Design for AC Vents
- Gear Shift Knob in Piano Black Finish
- Textured Dashboard
- USB Charging Ports
- 6-Speaker Surround Sense Audio System Powered by ARKAMYS
- Front Footwell Illumination
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- Onboard Voice Assistant via “Hi Suzuki”
- Electrically Adjustable and Foldable ORVMs
- Over-the-Air (OTA) System Upgrades Using Smartphone
- Adjustable Front and Rear Seat Headrests
- Rear Defogger
- Alexa Skill Connectivity
- Smartwatch Connectivity.
Also Read: Maruti Swift CNG vs Tata Tiago CNG – What To Buy?
