Suzuki Ignis News

It’s a brand new year and brand new car buying thoughts turn to vehicle build plates. Dealers are keen to shift their existing stock before prior year manufacturing dates become a millstone around their automotive necks.But what if the model in question has been publicly put to the sword and it’s not just a matter of a ‘2025 Plate Clearance Sale’?Some of these cars may have been around for quite a while. In rare instances, slow sellers celebrating a birthday (or two?) in retail captivity, waiting hopefully for a new owner to take them to their forever home.These are affectionately referred to as zombie cars. Still offered for sale but the production tap may be about to be turned off, or it’s even been twisted to the right some time ago.If you’re looking for a cut-price new car and you don’t mind if it’s been sitting on the shelf for a period of time, here’s a rundown of some four-wheeled zombies to give you a little extra leverage when twisting a salesperson’s arm.BMW Z4 - This sleek two-seat roadster was developed in a joint-venture with Toyota that also spawned the (similarly discontinued) fifth-generation Supra.Production is scheduled to end this March with a ‘Frozen Matt Black’ Final Edition model     including four- and six-cylinder variants, the order window for the car opening and closing this month.But don’t get too excited. Sadly, the Final Edition won’t be available in Australia. However, there are still Z4’s on showroom floors here and there around the country. After all, three found homes in December last year. Get in quick!Fiat 500 - The internal combustion version of this diminutive Italian (in Fiat and Abarth form) ceased production in June 2024 thanks largely to EU safety regulations sending it out of bounds.A 500 Ibrida Hybrid is due to begin production imminently, but it’s quite a different car designed to supplement 500e production (global demand for which has been underwhelming) and riding on the same platform.The ICE car is still offered up on the Fiat Australia website, in 1.2L four-cylinder Dolcevita form at around $30,775, drive-away.Hyundai i20 N - Hyundai has made no bones about the fact its i20N hot hatch is kaput, with production scheduled to finish this March.But Hyundai Australia has reached into the cash drawer and ordered up enough cars to satisfy predicted local demand through 2026.So, this brilliant little performance car will be a zombie in name only. But we wouldn’t leave it too late to get your hands on one. With 150kW/275Nm in a brilliantly responsive compact package it’s not to be missed.Jaguar E-Pace / F-Type - There isn’t a car company on the planet that’s been more transparent about ending production of a current model. In fact, (almost) every one of its models!Jaguar suspended manufacturing of its then existing internal combustion cars in mid-2024  in preparation for a brave new all-electric, ultra-premium future… except for the F-Pace SUV, soldiering on at JLR’s Solihull plant.Amazingly, local sales of the E-Pace SUV grew four per cent year-on-year in 2025 despite the manufacturing halt. And examples of the stunning F-Pace sports car continue to trickle out into the world.Jeep Grand Cherokee - The Aussie axe fell on Jeep’s Grand Cherokee early last year, the once hugely popular model discontinued locally in response to a less than stellar sales performance after launching here in 2023.Part of the problem was a solid price hike for the fifth-gen version and having ripped off the Band-Aid by announcing its local departure, parent company Stellantis promptly dropped the price of the Limited variant to $60,000, drive-away (previously $72,950, before on-road costs).Lo and behold, year-on-year Grand Cherokee sales ticked up 4.3 per cent for 2025, but registration numbers are dwindling now. It’s still up on the website, so it might be the perfect time to move in for a super-sharp deal.Suzuki Ignis / S-Cross - The pocket-sized Ignis SUV was confirmed for departure from the Australian market in early 2025 in response to new Australian Design Rule (ADR) requirements mandating more advanced AEB performance.Examples of the 1.2-litre four-seat city SUV were still rolling out Suzuki showroom doors in December last year so there are cars floating around the brand’s retail network.Same story for the compact S-Cross crossover, which struggled with that ADR compliance and reached the end of the road production-wise around the same time. Again, a number are still finding homes close to 12 months after its death notice was issued.Toyota Fortuner - A clear oversupply of large three-row SUVs was tidied up by Toyota Australia with an announcement to confirm the axing of its Fortuner model in November last year. Which still leaves the Kluger, LandCruiser Prado and LandCruiser 300 as available seven-seat Toyota options.Sharing the same body-on-frame platform as the HiLux ute, the off-road capable Fortuner will finish production around the middle of this year.  The Fortuner battled for clear air in the mix with its in-house competition, attracting just 3407 customers in 2025, while the Ford Ranger-based Everest sold 26,161 units. 

The Federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communication and the Arts has issued a safety recall notice impacting 5731 Suzukis sold new in Australia between 2022 and 2023.

New Australian Design Rules (ADRs) will begin to bite from March 1, 2025, requiring all new vehicles to be sold with auto emergency braking (AEB) systems. The rules mean major withdrawals from the Australian new-car market but they aren’t quite as widespread as you might imagine, with some manufacturers putting in the effort to keep their cars on the right side of the law. Falling in line with United Nations safety protocols, ADR 98/00 — Advanced Emergency Braking for Passenger Vehicles and Light Goods Vehicles requires the fitment of AEB, a life-saving technology that can automatically apply the brakes if a car senses an impending crash. These systems have various levels of effectiveness but the latest rule change is concerned with being able to detect other cars on the road. The systems must function at least between 10-60km/h and be able to bring the vehicle to a complete stop on a dry road from 40km/h. They must also switch on every time the car is started. This applied to new models of passenger car, light and medium commercial vehicles from March 1, 2023 and will cover all new vehicles imported into Australia from March 1.Mitsubishi is the hardest hit by the new rules, no longer able to sell the Pajero Sport off-road SUV or Eclipse Cross small SUV. The long-running ASX is also affected but Mitsubishi’s small SUV will be replaced by a new model this year.Next casualty is the cut-price Suzuki Ignis, which is not fitted with the technology. A new model, the Fronx, will replace it but probably not at its bargain price. Entry-level Vitaras will also be affected, though the brand did not respond to our query. The Porsche 718 would have been hit by the rule change, but production ceased in September with a new electric generation coming equipped with AEB. Another affordable brand slugged with the need for AEB is LDV, its cheap V80 large van is not equipped with the technology but, like the Porsche, production ended last year and all that’s left is existing stock. The entry trim T60 ute and all G10 van trims also lack AEB. CarsGuide was informed by a spokesperson that both “will meet the upcoming requirements for ADR 98/00”, with more news to share in the coming months. The Toyota Granvia people mover has also been given the chop. Onto the, perhaps unlikely, candidates that are equipped with AEB. Despite their age, these vehicles remain important sellers for carmakers, so it was clearly worth investing.There is none older than the Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series, over 40 years old its mid-life crisis (or glow-up) saw Toyota add crucial AEB including pedestrian, cyclist and motorcycle detection. Toyota also, a little sneakily, bumped the GVM beyond 3500kg to 3510kg in 2023. The value of this is that the 70 Series becomes reclassified as a medium goods vehicle, allowing it to dodge the latest side impact regulations that would’ve seen an imminent sales stop. The Toyota Fortuner, current HiLux and GR86 manual are all equipped with AEB that permit sale in Australia up to, and beyond, 2026.Another ageing model due for replacement is the Nissan Patrol, though the new version is not due until 2026 the Y62’s many life-cycle updates saw ‘Intelligent Emergency Braking’, an AEB system that can detect cars and pedestrians, way back in 2019.Also worth noting is the British Ineos Grenadier off-roader, the first batch does not have AEB. Cheekily, orders opened in May 2022 (before the mandate for all-new models) but customers didn’t receive cars in bulk until the first quarter of 2023, and Australian media only sampled the cars in December of that year. CarsGuide understands that all Grenadiers and Quartermasters will be equipped with AEB from March onwards.The Australian Government has launched a review into ADRs going forwards now there is no longer local manufacturing to legislate (and protect). The next big active safety ADR change (revised as ADR 98/01) is due in August 2026, when all cars sold must have AEB systems that can intervene if a pedestrian is detected in the path of a vehicle. Some carmakers, including Nissan and Mitsubishi, have called for this to better align Australia’s laws with Europe, Japan and the USA promoting greater affordability and fast-tracking of more efficient models. 

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

With the ageing MG3 likely to vanish and the Suzuki Ignis’ future up in the air, Kia is set to take the high ground by offering the lowest-priced new car in Australia with the next Picanto.

Congratulations. You’ve secured $30,000 and need a new car.

Suzuki has gone to the dark side with a new Shadow Edition of its tiny Ignis light SUV. The jacked-up city hatch is on sale now and sits at the top of the Ignis line-up.

It seems that as society starts to shift toward smaller domiciles, so too should we be shifting to smaller cars – which is a bit of an issue given carmakers have been steadily subtracting light cars from their Australian showrooms, or pricing them deep into the $20K-plus region.

While most carmakers have struggled with supply over the past two years, there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel for some brands.At least some of the parts shortages and supply chain dramas have abated, enough for a few of the biggest brands

Suzuki has had an unexpected hit on its hands in recent years, in the unlikely shape of the Ignis “light SUV”.