Maruti’s Ignis compact to counter Renault’s Kwid

New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki is gearing up to take on the competition from Renault’s Kwid. The country’s biggest carmaker has seen a serious challenge to its old warhorse Alto in the entry car segment after launch of Kwid in October last year and is now ready to counter it with premium compact Ignis, that is slated to hit the market on January 13.

Ignis will be retailed from Maruti’s upmarket Nexa dealer network. The company plans to position the car, which will be strapped with a 1.2-litre petrol and 1.3-litre diesel engine, as an urban, premium vehicle targeted at the millennials.

While the company will announce the price of Ignis at launch, industry analysts expect it to be around Rs 4 lakh. Baleno, the other compact being retailed from the Nexa channel, has an ex-showroom entry price of Rs 5.3 lakh and Maruti Suzuki will like to maintain a credible buffer between two products.

Company executives deny that Ignis is an answer to Kwid that has two petrol-engine options — 800cc and 1 litre. They feel there is only a slight chance of any cannibalisation within their own portfolio of small cars, including migration of potential Alto customers towards Ignis. “The customer profile is very different. The Ignis has a clear focus on urban young buyers,” says R S Kalsi, director (sales & marketing) at Maruti. “As far as Alto is concerned, it is aimed at higher age groups and for those having a family.”

C V Raman, director (R&D), described Ignis as a “global vehicle”. The car is being manufactured in Japan from where it is also being exported to Europe. India will be the second country where it will be manufactured and apart from sale in local market, exports will take place to Asia and Africa.

With the lineage of the Nexa, the Ignis will boast of a variety of important features that will come in as a standard fitment. These include airbags and anti-lock braking system (ABS). The company will also offer a variety of customisation features on the vehicle that will also offer auto-gear option on both fuel types.


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