Suzuki locks in Ignis for Australia

SUZUKI Australia has officially confirmed that it will add the quirky new Ignis crossover to its burgeoning SUV line-up early next year.

GoAuto has been speculating for some time that Suzuki’s Australian arm would add the tiny Ignis to its local roster of SUVs that already includes the popular Vitara and the soon-to-be-updated S-Cross.

In a brief release announcing the addition of the Ignis, Suzuki Australia general manager automobiles Andrew Moore said the little runabout’s unique design would ensure it grabs the attention of Australian consumers.

“Vitara has been an outstanding SUV success for Suzuki, with customers enjoying the performance of the turbo and it’s personalisation options,” he said. “With the new Ignis SUV, we’ll be adding another style icon to the range, with its retro looks, bright colours and immense personalisation sure to be popular amongst Australian motorists.

“I’ve got no doubt that with Vitara and the launch of Ignis, Suzuki will have the best line-up of small SUVs for any customer looking to move across to this fast growing segment of lifestyle enabling vehicles. And SUV’s that stay true to Suzuki’s philosophy of providing great value motoring.”

Specification and pricing are being kept under wraps for now, but given the diminutive dimensions of the Ignis, expect it to become the new entry point to Suzuki’s Australian SUV range and potentially start from less than $20,000.

It currently starts with the rugged but ageing Jimny at $20,990 plus on-road costs, but the S-Cross ranges in price from $21,990 to $32,990 and the Vitara is offered between $21,990 and $35,990.

Powertrain choices are also unclear for the Australian market, but Suzuki has already confirmed that the Ignis would be offered in some markets with an 82kW/170Nm 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine – also found in the Baleno hatch – and a mild-hybrid system that pairs a 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine with a small lithium-ion battery.

Suzuki displayed the new Ignis at last week’s Paris motor show, alongside the facelifted version of the slow-selling S-Cross that is expected in Australia later this year or early in 2017.

Given its small dimensions – 3700mm long, 1595mm high and 1660mm wide with a 2435mm wheelbase – the Ignis will play at the smaller ends of the growing small-SUV segment and be pitched against the likes of the Mazda CX-3, Nissan Juke, Ford EcoSport and Peugeot 2008.

While the S-Cross is struggling sales wise – its 371-unit year-to-date haul is 66.5 per cent behind the same period last year – the popularity of the Vitara has just managed keep Suzuki’s sales in positive territory (+1.1 per cent) for the first eight months of 2016.

So far this year, 3874 Vitaras have found homes making it the second best-selling Suzuki in Australia behind the evergreen Swift, which is down by 24.6 per cent to 5939 units.

The Vitara is currently running seventh in its segment behind big hitters such as the Mazda CX-3, Mitsubishi ASX, Honda HR-V, Nissan Qashqai, Holden Trax and Subaru XV.