Suzuki announces that the worldwide success story, the Swift, has sold over 5,000,000 units.

Suzuki is pleased to announce that global sales of Swift have now passed the five million mark, just eighteen months after the celebration of four million units. First launched in the UK in May 2005, more than 118,000 Swifts have been sold and it is the most popular model in the range, accounting for 36 per cent of the UK sales mix.

Swift is a world strategic model that was first built in Japan in 2004 with production bases expanding the year after to Hungary, India and China. Production then commenced in Malaysia (2007), Pakistan (2009), Thailand (2012) and Vietnam in 2014. All European Swifts are made at Suzuki’s established Magyar plant in Hungary.

Across the globe, 11 per cent of Swift sales are in Japan, around 50 per cent in India and 19 per cent across Europe. Swift is on sale in 140 countries and has won more than 70 awards.

In the UK, Swift is available in three and five door versions; it has a 1.2-litre petrol engine which emits 116g/km CO₂ as well as a Dualjet engine equipped with twin fuel injectors that records just 99g/km of CO₂ and offers even stronger fuel economy. Swift is also one of the safest cars in its class with a five star Euro NCAP rating as well as offering a low cost of ownership proposition.

Swift is available in five clearly defined specification grades which are SZ2, SZ3, SZ-L, SZ4 with 1.2-litre petrol engine and Sport with 1.6-litre engine. All models offer seven airbags and ESP as standard, front passenger airbag deactivation facility, electric windows, remote central door locking with deadlocks, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, MP3 / WMA compatible CD tuner with USB port and steering wheel mounted audio controls.

It can also be specified with four wheel drive which offers added safety during the winter months, the 4x4 is available as a five door 1.2 Dualjet petrol model with manual transmission and equipped as either an SZ3 or SZ4 grade. Thanks to the use of small and lightweight components Swift 4x4 is just 65kg heavier than an equivalent 2WD petrol model.

All Swift models except 4x4 and Sport are available with a 0% PCP (Personal Contract Purchase) Finance offer until the end of June 2016. Taking SZ3 three door as an example, a deposit of £2,411 is required followed by 42 monthly payments of £99 and a final payment of £3,680 to keep the car. The three door Sport is available with an APR rate of 2.8% on PCP for £169 per month payable over 48 months with a deposit of £1,639.