|
 TALKING
TO EIJI MOCHIZUKI, DIRECTOR (BOARD MEMBER) OF SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION
Youre
credited as being the ‘father of the Swift’. What was the
biggest challenge in designing the Swift?
To go from the concept (Concept S) to the production model was the biggest
challenge because we wanted to stick to the original concept as far as
possible. We also had to meet all the requirements and customer preferences
for the four markets where we are selling this car. There were many factors
we had to consider for all these markets.
What
was the thinking in choosing a distinctively European design and not a
more Asian look for the Swift, especially since three out of the four
markets the Swift will be sold will be Asian?
There are many good compact cars in Europe. In fact, Europe sets the standard
for compact cars and we wanted to benchmark the Swift against the best
in the world. Therefore we considered European taste and driving characteristics.
Our target was to make a global car and to achieve that we had to look
beyond the original Suzuki way. The Swift is the beginning of cars that
will be made with a local perspective.
You clearly benchmarked the new Mini’s styling?
Yes, in terms of styling we did benchmark the new Mini and thought that
our Swift would be much cheaper than the Mini but if it looked just as
good that would be to our advantage.
 What
has been the contribution of overseas engineers in the development of
the Swift car?
For the Indian Swift, Maruti engineers came from India to Suzuki's office
in Japan. For this car, the Japanese and Indians collaborated in terms
of technical inputs.
For the European Swift, some of our Japanese engineers stayed in Europe.
We conducted some suspension tests there with European engineers. As for
the Chinese model, we collaborated with the Chinese supply chain engineers.
Indian engineers stayed for 18 months in Japan to complete the project.
What
about a three-box or sedan version of the Swift?
The Swift platform can, at some stage, be used to make a three-box car.
It is possible to re-skin the car and make other derivatives and we are
looking into this possibility. |
FACTFILE
June 2005
Max
power 87bhp
Suspension
Tyres