Year of Suzuki Swift

The Suzuki Swift is nameplate marketed by Suzuki carried by vehicles of three distinct derivations:

• Generations I, II, III: a supermini that began as an export nameplate of the Japanese domestic market Suzuki Cultus. See: Suzuki Cultus
• Generation IV: the current JDM, Europe and Oceana generation, a significant departure from the previous models, marketed solely under the nameplate "Swift". (this article)
• Canadian Swift+: the current Canada-only generation marketed under the Swift+ nameplate — a sibling of the Daewoo Kalos family. See: Daewoo Kalos

Main article: Suzuki Cultus

The Swift began as a marketing and manufacturing rebadge of the Suzuki Cultus, a supermini (or subcompact) manufactured and marketed worldwide across three generations and four body configurations — 3-door hatchback, 4-door sedan, 5-door hatchback and 2-door convertible — and using the Suzuki G engine family. The car was marketed in the JDM (Japanese domestic market) as the Cultus and elsewhere as the Suzuki Forsa, Chevrolet Sprint and Sprint Metro, Geo and Chevrolet Metro, Pontiac Firefly, Maruti 1000, Holden Barina, Subaru Justy, Suzuki Jazz, and Suzuki Swift. Versions of the Generation II Cultus were also produced until 2007 in India — and remain in production today in Pakistan.

The Generation IV Swift debuted at the Paris Auto Salon in September 2004 to compete in the European B segment with the Peugeot 206, Opel Corsa and the Fiat Punto. This generation of the Swift marked a significant departure with the previous Cultus-based models, with Suzuki re-designing the vehicle as less of a "low price alternative" subcompact and more of a "sporty" subcompact. The Swift's design and driving characteristics focused on the European market with its chassis refined through a road-testing program across Europe.

Available with 1.3 (92 bhp) and 1.5 (102 bhp)litre petrol engines, the new Swift is Suzuki's new "global car", to be produced in Hungary, India, Japan and by Chang'an in China.

In Japan, 3- and 5-door bodies are available and four-wheel drive is an option for the 1.3L or 1.5L petrol engine. 1.2L CVT transmission version also available in only front wheel drive version.

The design of the new Swift was previewed on the Concept S and Concept S2 concept cars at auto shows, in the years leading up to its launch.

The British Autocar magazine gave the new Swift a favourable 4/ 5 stars in road test, judging it a "thoroughly impressive all-rounder". The Generation IV Swift has received a four stars out of five rating in the EuroNCAP crash tests.