Maruti Ignis to rival Mahindra KUV 100, Renault Kwid spotted testing in France

Launch is to take place by Sep 2016.Spied testing in Europe, the new Maruti Ignis compact crossover made its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show last year. It will be launched in India later this year, just ahead of the Diwali festival and will be sold through NEXA outlets along with Maruti Baleno and Maruti S-Cross.

Set to rival the likes of Mahindra KUV100 and Renault Kwid, Maruti Ignis measures 3,700 mm long, 1,660 mm wide and 1,595 mm tall. It has a 2,435 mm long wheelbase and ground clearance of 180mm.

Suzuki Ignis, on sale in Japan is powered by a 1.25 liter, four cylinder, K12C DualJet petrol engine. The engine offers 91 PS power and 118 Nm torque and will be mated to a SHVS mild hybrid system. In India, Maruti Ignis will get a 1.2 liter K12B engine with VVT or a 1.3 liter DDiS diesel engine with SHVS mild hybrid system mated to a 5 speed manual transmission while AGS (AMT) technology could be offered on the petrol variant.

Maruti Ignis receives a compact body structure. It will sport projector headlamps and massive bumpers at the front and rear. Interiors will see a host of innovative designs not yet seen on any Suzuki model. The Ignis sports a brand new steering wheel design, a new infotainment system while cabin space will be comfortable enough for upto 4 adults.

Interiors will be done in black with silver accents while the Ignis gets automatic climate controls, touchscreen SmartPlay infotainment system with USB and Bluetooth. Maruti Suzuki will present the new Ignis with safety features that include standard airbags with ABS, reverse parking sensors. Though launch is still a few months away, pricing of Maruti Ignis is slated to fall in the INR 5-7 lakh bracket to keep abreast with competition.

This article has first appeared in Rushlane.com