Shocker: Maruti Suzuki Halts Production Of Ignis Diesel

Update: Maruti has discontinued all the diesel variants of the Ignis from the lineup. Now, only the petrol variants are on sale with the option of a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed AMT transmission. 

If reports and Maruti Suzuki dealerships are to be believed, the manufacturer has pulled the plug on the diesel variant of the funky Ignis hatchback. Both the manual and the automated manual transmission (AMT) versions will be on sale only till stocks last. Please note that there’s no formal announcement on the same from Maruti Suzuki. The official website continues to show the diesel engine as an option.

That said, dealers in Delhi and Pune confirmed that the Ignis diesel is on its way out. The reason, while unknown, is possibly the lower than expected sales of the diesel variant. Another reason for the same could be the fact that prices of the diesel Ignis were, let’s say, ambitious. Straying super close to the established options such as the Baleno and Swift, it’s easy to see why the Ignis missed out on sales. Here’s a quick look at how prices stack up:

 (all prices ex-showroom Delhi)

 You see how prices of the top-spec Ignis Alpha are slap bang in the Baleno Zeta and Swift ZDi territory. Yes, the Ignis does offer more features at that price point, but it’s probably the bigger cabin of the Baleno or the un-quirky styling of the Swift that swayed buyers away.

Dealers are also offering some tempting discounts on the Ignis. This includes a cash discount of upto Rs 40,000 on the diesel models, and upto Rs 35,000 on the petrol. There’s an exchange bonus of Rs 25,000 and a corporate bonus of Rs 3100 as well. These discounts do make the Ignis a whole lot more tempting, don’t they?