| The first major foray by Maruti into the diesel car segment, Swift D will be powered by a 1.3 litre Fiat multijet engine, manufactured at the company's factory at Manesar in Haryana. |
| Though it is the country's leading car producer with a market share of 50 per cent, Maruti has never been a strong player in the diesel car market. In fact, it had last year discontinued its two diesel models, Zen D and Esteem D, which had imported diesel engines. But with the Manesar plant up and running, Maruti plans to make a splash in this segment. |
| Although diesel vehicles currently account for 30 per cent of the 1.2 million sold in India, the share is expected to climb to 45 per cent of the projected 2 million market by 2010. |
| The Swift D will come at a higher price than the current petrol models "" the Swift LXi is available at Rs 3.99 lakh, ex-showroom, Delhi "" and is being seen as an attractive buy for customers. |
| According to Maruti dealers, the Swift D, slated to be launched in three variants in the last week of January, will be the most fuel-efficient in its class. The price of Rs 4.5 lakh will make it the most lucrative deal in the market. |
| "Maruti has understood the Indian market well and like the Zen Estilo price tag of Rs 3.2 lakh, which was even lower than that of the original Zen, we are not expecting a high price tag for the Swift D. But it will be Rs 40,000-50,000 more than the current cars due to the costlier diesel technology," a Maruti dealer said. |
| A Maruti spokesperson, while confirming that the Swift D would be launched in a fortnight, refused to comment on the price. |
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