Finding Zen

Maruti Suzuki bring in a ‘none-of-a-kind’ challenger to the bustling compact urban space. Does it have what it takes to set it apart? Or does it have a bit more than just style on its side?

- Jim Gorde

I ’VE ONLY JUST PUT AWAY MY COPY OF Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, having gone through a few pages on the flight to Chennai. Thought-provoking as the book is, what was piquing my interest was that Maruti Suzuki have launched a fourth car with the same choice of petrol and diesel engines, and the second one under their Nexa umbrella. This one brings back a popular name, and not just because it sold a lot. It also went rallying in the JWRC a decade ago. ‘Ignis’ means ‘fire’ in Latin, and that’s just what the company hopes it will do: set the segment on fire. A new Maruti Suzuki car — any new Maruti Suzuki car — sees success. How do they do it?

I’m not going to give you a history lesson, but I will tell you that the most influential Maruti Suzuki cars have been the venerable 800, the Zen, the Omni, the Alto and the Swift. All small cars that did big things to people which, in turn, got the numbers that did even bigger things to Maruti Suzuki. The fact that they have a market share greater than the rest — from Hyundai to Lamborghini — combined tells you all you need to know about their popularity. The Ignis, then, looks set to see success because of two things: it’s a smartly designed compact car aimed squarely at the millennials and their demands, including loads of customisation. It packs a lot of new equipment and features and, though called an urban compact vehicle, can handle the outdoor ups and downs as well. It feels youthful, well-thought-out, and, dare I say, akin to a modern-day Zen.