2017 Suzuki Swift Hybrid Unveiled In Japan, Claims thirty two Kmpl; Will It Come To India?
Highlights
We’ve all witnessed the unveil of the fresh two thousand seventeen Suzuki Swift this year and are anxiously awaiting its launch in India. But for those thinking that the car will come soon, well the wait is a bit longer. Maruti Suzuki have said that the car will be launched in India in the very first half of two thousand eighteen and this means that the Auto Expo next year will be the apt place to make a strong beginning. Having said that, there’s something fresh about the two thousand seventeen Suzuki Swift that’s been unveiled now and this one is the hybrid version. The two thousand seventeen Suzuki Swift Hybrid was recently unveiled in Japan and is available in two variants – SG and SL. Now this is not a mild hybrid, mind you like the SHVS showcased at the time of the global unveil, rather carries an electrical motor assisting the petrol unit. So, it’s a decent hybrid and one which is more fuel efficient. We say that because the automaker claims a mileage of thirty two kmpl in the Japanese cycle and that’s fairly a good number, one has to admit.
2017 Suzuki Swift Hybrid technology
The Suzuki Swift Hybrid remains the same in proportions and it is the technology under the fetish mask that has seen a switch. Powering the Swift Hybrid is a 1.2-litre petrol engine that churns out eighty nine bhp and is mated to a ten kW electrified motor generator sending power only to the front wheels. The hybrid powertrain is paired to a 5-speed AMT unit.
Apart from the hybrid engine, the fresh Suzuki Swift gets a host of tech upgrades as well. The hatchback can detect low road conditions and will shut the petrol engine off when coasting and run on electrified power alone for a limited distance. Suzuki has managed to weigh the Swift Hybrid just under one thousand kg, which results in the hatchback qualifying for several tax benefits in Japan.
The Suzuki Swift Hybrid does not sport any dramatic visual switches
The Suzuki Swift Hybrid gets no exterior switches as such, barring the ‘Hybrid’ badge added to the front fender. The cabin too remains largely similar, save for the blue lining on the gear selector and a blue display on the instrument console. The Swift Hybrid SL variant also comes with spanking paddle shifters, while the car is loaded on safety tech including Suzuki’s Dual Camera Brake Support that uses lasers and cameras to help detect pedestrians.
The fresh generation Suzuki Swift is an utterly significant product for India and is slated to make its domestic debut at the two thousand eighteen Auto Expo. While India will get the 1.2-litre petrol and 1.3-litre diesel engine options, as well as the manual and AMT units; the hybrid is unlikely. That said, the fresh Swift diesel is expected to come back around twenty eight kmpl, going by the ARAI figures on the fresh generation Dzire.
With the high pricing and expensive technology backing the Swift Hybrid, Maruti Suzuki has refrained from introducing the hybrid version in the country even on the current generation model. Now, with the fresh GST norms charging forty three per cent taxes on hybrid cars, the Indian automaker will surely refrain from introducing the Swift hybrid here. More so, since the Ciaz and Ertiga that get the SHVS mild-hybrid systems are now over a Rs. One lakh more expensive.
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