NEW DELHI, MAY 25 Maruti Udyog launched its luxury compact car Swift on Wednesday, promising a dramatic makeover for the country’s largest carmaker. And if the tall-boy’s pricing is any indication, Maruti seeks to run over the competition with Japanese partner Suzuki Motors behind the steering wheel.

The attractively-priced Swift — Rs 3.87 lakh for a basic version in Delhi, Rs 4.05 lakh for the medium and Rs 4.85 lakh for top-end — could well topple immediate competitor Hyundai’s step-through SUV Getz. The Getz has clocked around 11,000 units since its launch in September last year at a slightly higher price of Rs 4.5 lakh for a basic model.

At this price-point, Swift will also nibble at hatchback Santro. Even the popular Tata Indica’s buyers will have the pick of MUL’s litter from the first week of June, when Swift starts drilling a crater into the B1 car-market segment. Of course, Maruti’s own WagonR would also feel the heat.

Maruti has eyes on potential luxury compact car customers of the Fiat Palio and Corsa Sail as well, after they failed to deliver marketshare despite a long headstart.

‘‘We had 9,000 bookings even before customers knew how we were pricing the Swift,’’ said MUL Managing Director Jagdish Khattar on Wednesday, his silver necktie echoing one of the colours on Swift’s new palette.

Interestingly, MUL has shunned its ubiquitous white car offering for the first time since it launched minicar Maruti 800 over two decades ago. The Swift is in silver and gold, two tones of red, and primary green, blue, grey and black. ‘‘The eight new colours show that we are on to today’s youthful aspirations,’’ said Mayank Parekh, General Manager, Marketing, MUL.

Khattar did not say how many units Swift expects to sell, but company officials said production lines were flexible to market demands and can push out 200 units a day, or 6,000 every month.

The Swift has been acclimatised to Indian needs by 25 engineers from Maruti Udyog who collaborated on the design with Suzuki in Japan over two years, Khattar told reporters.

Its 1.3 petrol engine will have a diesel variant in the next calendar year, for which construction has already started, he said. Swift is also to be exported to neighbouring countries.

Volume-wise, Khattar said overall sales will cross 6 lakh units this year.

Maruti, 54.2 per cent owned by Suzuki Motor Corp, saw sales increase 13.6 per cent in 2004-05 to 5.36 lakh units against 4.72 lakh units in 2003-04. It has three plants in Gurgaon, Haryana, which will churn out the Swift, though a new joint venture plant with Suzuki is underway at Manesar.