Maruti Suzuki Ignis Alpha AMT launched

With the addition of automatic gearbox in the top-end Alpha trim, the Ignis gets the auto box option in all but the base Sigma trim.

Maruti Suzuki has launched the Ignis Alpha with Auto Gear Shift (AGS) - for both petrol and diesel engines. The former is priced at Rs. 7.01 lakh, while the diesel will cost Rs. 8.08 lakh - both ex-showroom, Delhi.

The Ignis was launched earlier in 2017, and is sold through Maruti’s NEXA dealerships. While the AGS (Maruti’s terminology for Automated Manual Transmission - AMT) has been available on the Ignis since its launch - until now it was only limited to the middle-spec Delta and Zeta variants of the hatchback.

Making the automatic gearbox available on a wider range of variants on the Ignis comes as a response to the growing penetration of automatic hatchbacks in the country. Maruti was the first company to make the AMT technology mainstream in mass market cars, thus making the auto transmission cars more accessible. This, coupled with the ever increasing traffic congestion, has only helped the two-peddled car sales surge. According to Maruti - the AGS versions of the Ignis account for a considerable 27 per cent of the total monthly sales.

With modern hatchbacks coming equipped with generous equipment levels in their top-spec trims, the buyers are more inclined towards buying the fully-spec'd version the car. Therefore, it makes sense for Maruti to cater those who demand an automatic Ignis with all the available bells and whistles on-board. For instance, the Alpha trim of the Ignis gets standard equipment like a touchscreen infotainment system with voice command, reverse camera, automatic climate control, driver seat height adjust, and LED DRLs.

The Ignis is powered by Maruti’s ubiquitous 1.2-litre K-series petrol and 1.3-litre DDiS turbo-diesel engines. In their AMT avatars, the petrol returns 20.89 km/l, whereas the diesel is capable of returning 26.80 km/l - both of which are similar to their manual gearbox counterparts.

Just a few weeks back, Maruti Suzuki also gave a similar treatment to its Baleno premium hatchback, by launching the top-spec Alpha trim with an automatic transmission. However, unlike Ignis’ AMT, the Baleno gets a CVT automatic gearbox.  

Also Read: Maruti Suzuki Ignis AMT vs Nissan Micra CVT: Comparison

We also have an Ignis AMT in our long term fleet. Read latest term report here - Maruti Suzuki Ignis Long Term Report: July 2017