Maruti Suzuki to produce next-gen Swift, Swift Dzire from Gujarat plant after Baleno: Report

Maruti Suzuki's parent company, Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) is planning to open new manufacturing facility in Gujarat by January 2017. The first car to be rolled out from the plant will be the Baleno. Emerging reports indicates this will be followed by next generation Swift Dzire and Swift hatchback.

A report in Autocar Professional claims Baleno will be followed by yet-to-unveil next-gen Swift and Swift Dzire from the Gujarat plant. The report also says SMC is planning an additional investment of around Rs 8,500 crore in the new plant.

Maruti Suzuki currently produces 15 lakh cars annually from its two plants in Haryana. The Gujarat plant will further add 15 lakh capacity. SMC is reportedly planning to set up six assembly lines for producing 250,000 cars on each line at the Gujarat plant.

Suzuki is expected to unveil the next generation Swift twins in early 2017. The sedan version, the Swift Dzire recently spotted testing in India, while the hatchback sibling's tests are happening in foreign countries. According to reports, new avatar of the sedan will come to the market first, followed by the next-gen Swift. This is because the competition in the compact sedan segment is getting tougher with the arrival of the new models.

The twins in new version are expected to have a more stylish appearance than the current model. Both cars are expected to feature a large hexagonal grille and air intakes. The headlamps will be inspired from the Baleno hatchback with dedicated projector lamps and daytime running lights. The interior of the cars are expected to get a new dashboard and flat-bottomed steering wheel.

Under the hood, the new Dzire and Swift are likely to get the same 1.2-litre petrol and 1.3-litre diesel engines of the current model. Maruti Suzuki might also bring SHVS (Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki) technology in new versions.

Picture source: Auto Express