Is another cheap SUV about to bite the dust? 2024 Suzuki Ignis expected to get the chop soon

Speculation is mounting that Suzuki may discontinue the Ignis range in Australia in the near future, eliminating the cheapest new SUV on sale in the process.

Sources suggest this could be as soon as early in 2024, as the diminutive city-sized crossover falls victim to the lack of driver-assist safety equipment – namely Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB).

“Ignis is finished (for Australia),” according to information from a dealer this week. "No AEB (is the reason)."

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However, Suzuki Australia spokesperson, Joanna Montalto, denies this is happening right now, stating that the Ignis’ demise is not imminent.

“We have no plans to discontinue this model in the immediate future,” she said.

The loss of Ignis would be just as much a blow for Suzuki as consumers seeking an entry-level SUV.

When asked about its future in Australia in September, 2022, Suzuki Australia General Manager, Michael Pachota, said at the time that growing demand for the Japanese-built crossover since 2020’s butched-up facelift and price-repositioning had given it a new lease of life, despite already being on the market since 2016 and with no AEB in the pipeline.

"Once we updated that, (sales) took off," he revealed. "That styling was the change that product needed.”

Even since those comments were made, rising prices of alternatives and freer supplies on hand means that Ignis sales have jumped nearly 27 per cent year-on-year, to 1991 units to the end of October.

While that is a fraction of the light SUV segment-leading Mazda CX-3’s 13,324 registrations over the same time period (up 54.4 per cent year-on-year), the fact that the latter now starts from nearly $27,000 before on-road costs (ORC) has seen some consumers head into Suzuki showrooms instead.

Keen pricing, then, continues to drive Ignis volume.

From $20,490 before ORC (or $22,490 driveaway as advertised on the company’s website), the base Ignis GL 2WD 1.2-litre manual is currently Australia’s least-expensive SUV, and is followed by the automatic version which costs just $1000 more.

Both undercut the Hyundai Venue 2WD manual from $22,000, the Kia Stonic S manual from $22,290 (or $23,790 for the auto), while the better-equipped Ignis GLX auto kicks off from $23,490. All these prices are also before ORC.

Meanwhile, Australia’s best-selling small SUV, the MG ZS Excite FWD auto from the next size class up starts from $23,990 driveaway, while the ageing Mitsubishi ASX GS 2WD manual now commences from $24,490 before ORC – or $2300 more for the auto.

Clearly, then, Australian consumers are rewarding Suzuki’s democratically priced baby SUV, but for how much longer, nobody can say.

Despite Montalto’s response, our advice would be to get in quick if you’re in the market for an Ignis. Legislation regarding vehicle safety specification in the future is surely coming for it.