Tucked away in a small hall housing hybrid vehicles at the Auto Expo 2014 was the Maruti Swift Range Extender.
According to Maruti Suzuki India's internal tests, the Swift R.E gets a combined fuel efficiency of 48.2 kmpl, while its pure electric range is around 25.5 km. The Swift R.E is powered by an inline 3-cylinder 658 cc petrol engine and a permanent magnet synchronous motor that develops 73 hp.
The Swift R.E's weight has gone up considerably, despite using a small engine and a fixed gear automatic gearbox, tipping the scales at 1,600 kg. The front-wheel drive car gets lithium-ion cells that take 1.5 hours to charge fully through a 200V socket, the company claims.
On the inside, there are a host of changes. The audio system is upgraded, with a small information display screen in the centre. There's also a start/stop button and the car gets remote keyless entry. There's little change on the outside, except for the car's livery, yellow contrast roof and the rear disc brakes.
Like the standard Swift sold in India, the R.E measures 3,850 mm in length, 1,695 mm in width, 1,530 mm in height and gets a wheelbase of 2,430 mm to seat five passengers in reasonable comfort.
