Maruti Suzuki defers Ignis launch by 3-6 monthys to clear Brezza, Baleno backlog

MUMBAI: Maruti Suzuki India, the country’s largest car maker, has deferred the launch of its hatchback Ignis by three to six months so that it can clear a backlog of about 1 lakh bookings for its Vitara Brezza and Baleno models in a sluggish market amid strained production capacity.
Instead of introducing the tallboy crossover hatchback Ignis this festive season, Maruti Suzuki will launch the vehicle in 2017, according to people familiar with the matter. The production of Ignis, which was scheduled to start by the last week of September, has been put off to the last week of November.

"Any new product, before launching, goes through a series of trial production. With waiting (Vitara Brezza and Baleno) customers, it was decided that instead of blocking capacity ahead of the festive season towards trial of Ignis, the company would rather produce more of the in-demand products and reduce their waiting period," said one of the people.

The Ignis may boost sales volumes by 60,000 to 80,000 units per annum, say vendors to Maruti Suzuki, adding that incremental volumes from the new model would have put pressure on already stretched capacity for the current financial year.