The Suzuki Swift has been a huge hit ever since it was re-introduced in 2004. It’s a popular choice over in hatchback-loving Europe, and has been doing a lot of lifting over in India. The Swift has also become one of the brand’s fastest-selling models, shifting about 1 million units every two years, give or take.
Now, all that hard work has paid off. After 20 years and 8 months after it was first launched in Japan, the Suzuki Swift has reached a sales milestone of 10 million units. Suzuki rung up that tally in July 2025, and that figure includes those from the four-door Dzire, as well as the Swift Sport that we’ve been begging for a good chunk of two decades.
Now, if you noticed we said ‘re-introduced’ in the first paragraph, there’s a good reason for that. While the Swift we know today has been around for 21 years, the name has been used in one form or another for over 40 years. Time for a quick history lesson, then.
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If we were to trace the roots of the Suzuki Swift, we wind the clock back to 1983. It was essentially the export version of the Suzuki Cultus. That iteration of the Swift lasted two generations, until it was replaced by the Ignis.
Now, the Ignis itself was also badged as a Swift, but only in its home market of Japan. That said, it bore little resemblance to the Swift we know today and eventually became its own standalone model.
As mentioned, the current iteration of the Swift was launched in October 2004 for the 2005 model year. The ‘reborn’ first-generation model was patterned after European subcompact hatchbacks, and that formula proved to be hugely successful. Not long after that, the performance-oriented Swift Sport appeared.
The second-generation Swift appeared in 2010 and, on the surface, appeared to be a mild evolution over the previous model. But under the skin was an all-new chassis, along with more generous interior and exterior dimensions to boost practicality. This platform would prove to be versatile, as not only did this chassis lend itself to the Dzire sedan, it was also stretched out to form the Ertiga.
For the third-generation Swift, it shifts to the lightweight Heartect platform that shaves off about 10% off the chassis from the model it replaced. Sadly, the three-door body style was discontinued, although interior volume was improved significantly.
This generation would also feature many firsts, such as the introduction of a mild-hybrid system, as well as the availability of advanced driver assists. It’s still in production in select markets to this day, the Philippines included.
As for the fourth-generation Suzuki Swift, it was first shown during the 2023 Japan Mobility Show and hit Japanese showrooms by the end of that year. Still using the Heartect platform, it features more aggressive styling although its shape is still unmistakably Swift. Like before, interior volume has been maximized further, and noise isolation was improved for better refinement.
There’s a choice of three powertrains for the current Swift. It kicks off with a 1.2-liter, three-cylinder engine with 82hp and 112Nm, as well as a mild-hybrid version of the same engine that makes identical power. The Indian market gains a third option in the form of a CNG-powered 1.2-liter three-pot producing 69hp and 102Nm.
By Suzuki’s reckoning, the Swift accounts for approximately 30% of its global sales, easily making it the brand’s best-selling model. Its biggest market is India with a 60% share from all the Swifts sold since 2004. Europe is the second-largest with 14% of total Swift sales, while it’s 8% for Japan and 18% for the rest of the world.
Locally, we’re still waiting for the all-new Swift to land in the Philippines. In a way, however, it’s already here in the form of the Dzire that made its debut during the 2025 Manila International Auto Show. Still, we’d love to see the hatchback land here, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed for that one.
