Maruti Suzuki Ignis diesel discontinued? Nexa dealers halt bookings

• Maruti Suzuki Nexa dealers stopped booking for Ignis diesel variants due to low demand
• Maruti Suzuki launched Ignis as a lifestyle product via Nexa premium dealerships chain
• Dealers are pushing unsold stock of Ignis diesel variants offering discounts of up to Rs 65,000

Maruti Suzuki, India's largest carmaker, is known for launching blockbuster cars. Most of its latest launches such as the Vitara Brezza and Baleno were a runaway success and they are the market leaders in the respective segments. However, the Ignis hatchback launched in January 2017 seems to have not gone down well among the customers.

Emerging reports indicate that Maruti Suzuki dealers have stopped accepting bookings for the Ignis' diesel variants due to low demand. "We are not taking any bookings for the Ignis diesel model and this is essential because of the low demand of the car with that fuel type," NDTV Auto quoted a dealership spokesperson as saying.

Steep pricing seems to have dented the sales of the Ignis after the initial excitement. The Ignis diesel variants have been priced from Rs 6.32 lakh to Rs 8.12 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). At that price point, many spacious premium cars like Hyundai Elite i20, Honda Jazz and even Maruti Suzuki Baleno are available. This seems to be prompting prospective customers to go for other choices.

Maruti Suzuki had launched Ignis as a lifestyle product. It does not come with a spacious cabin, dual-tone interiors and Maruti's latest SmartPlay infotainment system. These omissions also have been major deterrents to sales apart from high price.

Maruti Suzuki has not officially commented about booking halt for the Ignis diesel variants. A report in Autocar India claims many dealers are pushing unsold stock of Ignis diesel variants offering discounts of up to Rs 65,000.

Maruti Suzuki's first compact crossover had a decent start finding 20,000 takers in just four months of launch. Positioned below Baleno, a premium hatchback in Nexa, Ignis targets the millennial. Hence, Maruti Suzuki offers the funky crossover with a host of customization through the iCreate program.