When Maruti Suzuki launched the Ignis in January 2017, it took the loyalists by surprise. It had a quirky design, powertrain options from the Swift and a price list that only a few could digest. In essence, it was a revolutionary successor to the Maruti Suzuki Ritz. Many believed that Ignis’ love-or-hate package would leave it moaning for sales. And, if you compare them with other popular models like the Swift, Baleno and Dzire, “the many” weren’t wrong.

The Ignis might not be the bestseller for Maruti Suzuki. And it will, in all probability, never claim that title. However, there is something for the Ignis owners and Maruti Suzuki to smile about. The Ignis’ lifetime sales have surpassed the 1 lakh mark. It took more than two years for the car to achieve this feat. In comparison, the new Swift crossed the same milestone in less than five months.

Earlier this year, Maruti Suzuki updated the standard safety kit on the Ignis and launched it with a higher asking price. All variants come with rear parking sensors, speed alert warning system, seatbelt reminder for the front seats, ABS with EBD, dual airbags and ISOFIX anchorages. The Ignis, like the Alto, Celerio and WagonR, is available only with a petrol engine. The 1.2-litre mill, which is good for 83PS/113Nm and can be had with either a 5-speed MT or a 5-speed AMT, is shared with the Swift and the Dzire. Due to low demand, diesel-powered variants of the Ignis were shelved in June last year.

The Ignis became the second car to enter Maruti Suzuki’s Nexa range of premium dealerships. Before April 2020, the Ignis’ 1.2-litre engine will receive a similar overhaul like the Baleno did last week to become BSVI-compliant. In India, the Ignis competes with the Tata Tiago NRG, Ford Freestyle and the Mahindra KUV100.