The change is not about numbers either. Swift was the first car from Maruti that, other than the value provided by its competitive pricing, sought to provide the consumers with style, sportiness, high performance and a premium tag.

"Swift was a watershed. Our styling philosophy has changed. Earlier, we made traditional and conventional designs," says Rao. Seconds Raman: "Be it small cars or large, Suzuki's DNA has changed to sporty. We are talking about world cars." Indeed, for a long time, the company did not bring out Swift in white as the colour was considered too plain.

Of all the cars by Maruti since Swift, only the new Wagon R would fit the description of a typical Maruti car: simple, straight lines, value for money.

Zen Estilo is small, but its design has little in common with its older siblings like Alto, Wagon R or Esteem. All the other new launches, too, flaunt curves, sportiness and performance not usually associated with Maruti cars before Swift. The cars in the pipeline - A-Star and Splash - take the new philosophy forward.

"Swift was the turning point for Suzuki (the Japanese car maker that owns 54.2 per cent of Maruti's equity) and Maruti," says Maruti managing director S Nakanishi.

Image: Former President APJ Abdul Kalam reads the specifications of Maruti Suzuki Swift car at the MUL factory in Gurgaon | Photograph: Prakash Singh AFP/Getty Images