Why isnt the Swift very popular here in the Philippines?

**Rev01veR** · June 18th, 2012 08:02 AM

I mean, it got good reviews from auto critics, like Top Gear, Carbuyer and Fifth Gear. It's a very popular car in Australia, India and UK. Won subcompact car of the year awards here and there. It has clubs all over the world, But here in the Philippines, its a bit on the limelight. Too overshadowed maybe by the popular Jazz and the great Fiesta, but still it keeps me wondering. Even here in the forums, nobody seems to talk about the Swift. Even Teamswift.tk isnt that active anymore. I may be biased coz I own one, but I loved the Swift even before I bought it. I did a lot of research online before buying it, and boy do critics love the Swift. Well, on the other hand, I like how unpopular it is, at least its a bit rare on the streets. Unlike Jazz which is all over the place. Anyway, just thinking out loud here.

**jaymd** · June 18th, 2012 08:15 AM

reviews are made by auto critics/enthusiasts. they put a premium on the cars performance handling etc. most buyers are not car enthusiasts. strong selling points for cars are Brand recognition, exterior/interior design(futuristic design), resale, parts/accessories availabililty, performance, luggage space. kaya mabenta jazz talaga. Pero swift pa din ako kahit wala luggage space, spartan interior, etc. At least may temp gauge ang swift hehe

**Walter** · June 18th, 2012 08:47 AM

Expensive parts, limited dealer network among others.

**mda** · June 18th, 2012 08:54 AM

I think that there's a certain stigma when you talk about Suzuki cars especially among the rich (who have the money to buy small compact cars to go alongside their large SUVs). I guess this is probably related or directly as a result of having a bad track record when it comes to service quality over the past few years. Plus having a broken line-up and odd pricing schemes for some cars (SX4) don't help.

**niky** · June 18th, 2012 09:39 AM

The Swift is a fantastic car. Stylish, inside and out, refined (about as refined as the Fiesta... with better plastics), smooth-riding, comfortable and yet still agile Us car reviewers don't only like it because it's fun to drive, but also because it's the complete package.

The big problem is the presence of Suzuki cars locally is small. They have limited dealerships and exposure. They have an odd line-up (as mentioned), so there's not much in the way of other family cars to draw people into the showroom. There's a (perhaps undeserved) reputation of poor dealership service. Not entirely their fault. Remember, Suzuki was used by GM previously to sell rebadged Chevrolet and Daewoo cars...

Then there's the space. Even though people who buy Jazzes, Fiestas and whatnot don't buy them for the back seat space, the perception of smallness haunts the Swift. The back seat is bigger, but still smaller than average, and the trunk is smaller than the Eon's. So while it's the nicest car in its class to both drive and be driven in, the lack of the extra passenger and cargo room that you might never use still hurts it. Also, only being available in 1.4 liters hurts. While that makes it more efficient, hatchbacks here are usually lifestyle cars, and people buying in that price range will want 1.5 and 1.6 liter engines.

Shame. Good car. Sells pretty damn well in India... but it will take a long while and some really strong marketing for it to take off here.

**vegetablejoe** · June 18th, 2012 11:39 AM

I've long wanted a Swift. But previous to the current year's model, the Swift's 1.5l engine required 98 octane gas. BIG TURN-OFF, as I was driving a '96 Corolla that couldn't use E10 either...

I see that the new 1.4L engine can use lower octane gas, so someday I will get myself a slightly-used Swift 1.4L... In the meantime, I'm loving my new Jimny.

**ben_david19** · June 18th, 2012 11:44 AM

IMO it's not very popular compared to Vioses etc. but it is selling. It's not a flop like SX4 sedan etc.

heck the Alto is the most popular car in India, but here it is not. but it is selling.

Suzuki is number 3 in japan though. Mahina lang suzuki talaga dito, maybe because of odd line ups. tsaka toyota and honda and even hyundai na ang uso dito sa mentality ng pinoys.

**niky** · June 18th, 2012 12:13 PM

Japan is a market that puts a premium on small cars, and where consumers are willing to pay extra. Just look at their line-up... the Civic is gone from Japan and the smaller and more expensive Prius C is selling like hotcakes. Here? everyone wants a Montero.

India is similar to Japan in that they like buying small cars... but cheaper ones. The Philippines has yet to catch on... we suffer from the same preconceptions that Americans do that small cars are deathtraps and will flip over if a bus passes them. But it's better for us if more cars on the road were smaller... we'd use less gas, we'd have less traffic volume for the same number of road users, and we'd have less pollution.

-

If only.

Originally Posted by vegetablejoe

I've long wanted a Swift. But previous to the current year's model, the Swift's 1.5l engine required 98 octane gas. BIG TURN-OFF, as I was driving a '96 Corolla that couldn't use E10 either...

I see that the new 1.4L engine can use lower octane gas, so someday I will get myself a slightly-used Swift 1.4L... In the meantime, I'm loving my new Jimny.

Doesn't require it. Preferred, maybe... but not required. The only variant I can recall that requires high octane is the 1.6 Sport with the high compression engine.

**gongrhey** · June 18th, 2012 01:13 PM

another factor is brand consciousness among us Pinoys. we like to buy yung nasa "uso" and sikat.

**basti08** · June 18th, 2012 01:30 PM

For starters, Suzuki isn't as well appreciated here in RP as in other parts of the globe. That's in general. Brand cachet counts.
Perceived notion of expensive parts but low resale which hampers sales of even bigger Nissan, Ford or Mazda would definitely hurt the much smaller Suzuki even greater.
Gen1 Swift has been tagged as a guzzler in matic form, making matters worse. Gen1 Jazz and even the Yaris has been cited as fuel efficient even in matic form, much more the manual versions. Also, the Swift was late in the game in offering manual transmission. That could have build a strong 1st impression of confidence in fuel efficiency, ease of maintenance and could have emphasize its fun to drive factor.
Another, the Swift neither gen1 or gen2 isn't much roomier than a Picanto. The latest Picanto model even has bigger boot than the newest Swift. Cabin room-wise, form over function won here. For 1st timer car buyers, that's a sure turn off. For buyers that wants to keep just one car, it won't be considered either.

Still, there is a market for Swift. Those yuppies who could careless about backseat and boot space and wants a solid, stylish ride is their main target. Others could be those who wont be using it as their primary or family car (coding car perhaps?), or those who wants to stand out from crowds of Vioses, Jazzes and the likes. Which isn't so much here in RP.