NEW DELHI/CHENNAI:Maruti Suzuki India, India’s largest automobile maker, added another product to its portfolio on Friday with the launch of its ‘premium urban compact’ Ignis. Priced between Rs 4.59 lakh and Rs 7.8 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), the mini-sports utility vehicle expands on the automaker’s Baleno platform.
The launch buttresses the shift in focus that the company has established over the past few years. “We are aware that the life and priorities of our customers are fast evolving.
If we have to keep pace, we must demolish traditional categories and think afresh. Just like the customer,” said managing director and CEO Kenichi Ayukawa, adding that the company is ready to demolish traditional categories while challenging itself to create new segments.The product might well help the company redefine categories, built along the lines of the Renault Kwid in styling and situated higher on the price band. “The Ignis,” Ayakawa pointed out, “shatters the existing categories in the Indian car market” and “challenges conventional design and styling”. The compact is available in both petrol and diesel with an auto-gear shift feature.
The petrol version is powered by a 1.2-litre engine and is priced between Rs 4.59 lakh and Rs 6.69 lakh. The diesel variant has a 1.3-litre engine and the price ranges from Rs 6.39 lakh to Rs 7.8 lakh (all prices ex-showroom Delhi). According to the company, along with its suppliers, it has invested over Rs 950 crore towards development of the vehicle. The Ignis will join the Baleno in being retailed through the company’s premium retail chain Nexa.
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