Maruti Suzuki Ignis spied testing in India

Showcased as the Ignis Concept at the Expo, the Maruti Suzuki Ignis compact SUV has been spied testing for the first time in India. The compact SUV/crossover segment has been on the rise in the country and Maruti Suzuki wants a piece of the pie with the Ignis. First unveiled at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show and launched in Japan last month, the Ignis is slated for a late 2016 launch here, just ahead of the Indian festive season.

Sharing the same lightweight compact car platform as the Baleno, the Ignis is nevertheless an entirely new machine in terms of design, according to its maker. At the front it gets snazzy LED headlamps and liberal lashings of chrome around the fog lamps and on the front grille. A raked-out tail gate and simple tail lamps round out the rear, although the triangular rear quarter design gives the Ignis a distinctive presence.

Inside, the Ignis gets a massive touchscreen panel mounted on the dashboard that can be used to control the infotainment system. The climate control knobs and other buttons also come in a new layout, with the former coming in a capsule-shaped unit that is unlike anything we’ve seen in this segment. The three-spoked steering wheel is also new and features controls for audio and phone calls.

Motive power for the Ignis comes from a 1.2-litre petrol unit or a 1.3-litre 4-cylinder diesel unit sourced from Fiat, both paired with a 5-speed manual transmission. Both the engines are expected to be highly efficient, with the petrol unit delivering around 22 kmpl and the diesel unit delivering around 29 kmpl overall.  

When launched, the Ignis will become the third car to be sold under Maruti’s premium Nexa sub-brand after the Baleno and the S-Cross.

Spy Images: GaadiWaadi