A lot has already been written about the upcoming small crossover – the Ignis -- from the house of Maruti Suzuki, the country's largest carmaker. While the previous reports said that the Ignis will not get Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) and instead will get continuously variable transmission (CVT), the latest is that it will be AMT.
The interesting bit from the latest report is that the AMT, which Maruti calls as AGS (Automatic Gear Shift) will be available in both the petrol and diesel variants of the crossover. If this rings true, the Ignis will be the fifth model in Maruti line-up to feature AGS technology. Maruti currently offers AMT in Swift Dzire, Celerio, Alto K10 and Wagon R.
Maruti is currently testing the Ignis on the Indian roads. The crossover, which was showcased at the Auto Expo 2016 in February, will make its market debut during the festive season this year. According to MotorTrend, the AMT in the Ignis will help Maruti to keep the price competitive.
The Ignis will be the third offering to join the Nexa line-up in India. Currently Nexa has two offerings on its floors -- the S-Cross and the Baleno. Under the hood, the Ignis is likely to get a 1.2-litre VTVT petrol engine and a 1.3-litre MultiJet diesel unit and the transmission is likely to be taken care of by five-speed manual gearbox. There have also been rumours that the Ignis could get all-wheel drive option.
As for features, expect the upcoming crossover to get projector headlights, outside rear-view mirrors with turn indicators, 18-inch alloy wheels, a rear-mounted spoiler and LED headlights. On the safety front, the Ignis will pack Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), and airbags.
The ignis, the first compact crossover of Maruti Suzuki. will be pitted against Mahindra KUV100 in India and is likely to be priced in the range of Rs 5 lakh to Rs. 7 lakh.
