Maruti to reinvigorate sedan, hatchback segments with these 2 new car launches

The rising popularity of SUVs has significantly impacted the sales of hatchbacks and sedans in India. While the market share of the SUV segment rose to 50.4% in FY24, that of the hatchback segment and the sedan segment slipped to 27.8% and 9%, respectively, during the fiscal. However, the country's largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki India, is all set to bolster the two shrinking spaces with the launch of the new-generation versions of the Swift and the Dzire.

The Swift and the Dzire are among the largest-selling cars in India. While the Swift was the third bestseller in FY24 at 195,321 units, the Dzire was in the seventh position with volumes of 164,517 units.

Maruti will launch the new Maruti Suzuki Swift 2024 in May and the new Maruti Suzuki Dzire 2024 in the September quarter. Both cars have already been spied testing in India.

We are expecting some major exterior and interior updates on the Swift 2024 and the Dzire 2024. Both cars will have a new grille, redesigned LED headlamps and taillamps, and fresh alloy wheels.

Inside the cabin of the new Swift and the new Dzire, you might see features like a redesigned touchscreen infotainment system, instrument panel and climate control unit. We are also expecting a 360-degree camera and an electric sunroof in both cars.

At present, both Swift and Dzire use the same 1.2-litre K-Series Dual-Jet Dual-VVT petrol engine (90PS and 113Nm) with 5-speed MT and 5-speed AMT options. The two cars also have a CNG option with a 5-speed MT. It remains to be seen whether the Swift 2024 and the Dzire 2024 get the same powertrains or if there is an update.

The Maruti Suzuki Swift is currently priced between Rs 5.99 lakh and Rs 9.03 lakh (ex-showroom), and the Maruti Suzuki Dzire between Rs 6.56 lakh and Rs 9.39 lakh (ex-showroom). The prices of both Maruti Suzuki Swift 2024 and the Maruti Suzuki Dzire 2024 will be higher.