Maruti Suzuki India launches new Ignis at Rs 459,000

Maruti Suzuki India, which is to launch 11 new models by the year 2020, today launched its first new car of 2017 – the premium urban compact vehicle, the Ignis in New Delhi today. It is understood the company already has over 6,000 bookings for the car. 

The Ignis has been launched at an introductory price (ex-showroom, Delhi) of Rs 459,000 for the petrol variant and Rs 639,000 for the diesel. This makes it the most affordable car from the premium Nexa channel which also retails the S-Cross and Baleno hatchbacks. Pricing for the Ignis' nearest rival, the Mahindra KUV100, start at Rs 458,000 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

The Ignis is available in four variants – Sigma, Delta, Zeta and Alpha. Dual airbags, ABS, EBD and ISOFIX child seat anchor points are standard across the range while features such as LED projector headlamps with daytime-running lights, puddle lamps, automatic climate control, 15-inch alloy wheels and Maruti’s SmartPlay infotainment system with navigation, voice recognition, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and Mirror Link connectivity make their way to the top variant (Alpha) of the Ignis.

The Ignis is powered by the same set of engines as on the Baleno. The 1.2-litre, four-cylinder petrol unit develops 82hp and 113Nm, and the 1.3-litre four-cylinder diesel motor produces 74hp and 190Nm. Gearbox options include a five-speed manual and an automated manual transmission (AMT) on both the petrol and diesel Ignis models. The AMT, however, will be available only on the mid-spec Delta and Zeta variants. The base Sigma trim is offered as a petrol-manual only, whereas the top-spec Alpha, is available with both engine options and gets only the manual transmission. The ARAI-certified fuel efficiency figures for the latest Maruti are 20.89kpl and 26.8kpl for the petrol and diesel, respectively.

The Ignis is available in six colour schemes – Pearl Arctic White, Uptown Red, Silky Silver, Tinsel Blue, Glistening Grey and Urban Blue. Maruti are targeting the younger buyers with the Ignis and towards that are also offering dual-tone body coloured options as well as some customisable options for the exterior and interior.

The hatchback can be booked online through the Nexa channel website www.nexaexperience.com, in addition to conventional booking options for an initial amount of Rs 11,000.

High on safety

Maruti wants to make safety statement with the Ignis. The car comes equipped with dual airbags, seatbelts with pre-tensioner force limiter and ABS as standard across the range. Maruti says the Ignis is compliant with pedestrian safety, side-impact and offset crash tests and will meet 2017 crash safety norms. The Ignis also gets the Isofix Anchorage child seat restrain system as standard across all variants. 

According to the company, the Ignis is built on a new-generation rigid platform called Suzuki Total Effective Control Technology (TECT) aimed at providing a high level of occupant protection.

The Ignis has a high level of localisation – 98.5 percent. Maruti Suzuki, along with its component suppliers, has invested over Rs 950 crore towards development of the Ignis.

Speaking at the launch, Kenichi Ayukawa, MD and CEO, Maruti Suzuki India, said: “The Ignis combines unconventional design, seamless smartphone experience with AndroidAuto and Apple CarPlay, technological supremacy with AGS on petrol and diesel models, advanced safety features as standard and personalisation options.”

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