The Suzuki Ignis moves another step nearer to taking the World Car Of The Year Award.

Suzuki is well known as the ‘Small Car Experts’ and is pleased to announce that the recently launched IGNIS has made it as a finalist in the new Urban Car category of the 2017 World Car of The Year.

To qualify for the initial judging process, vehicles had to be less than four metres long, suitable in design for everyday use in an urban environment and also on sale in two Continents by the deadline of Spring 2017. 

At 3.70 metres in length, the IGNIS Mini Crossover qualified for judging and is now shortlisted with just four other new cars.

The World Car of the Year judging panel comprises of 73 Automotive Industry journalists with eight of these representing the UK and Republic of Ireland.

World Car of The Year (UK Vice-Chair) Mike Rutherford comments: "Suzuki has seen off many rival manufacturers from all corners of the globe to become a 2017 World Car finalist. 

"As our 70-plus jurors have decided and as I have long suspected, Suzuki builds some of the finest small cars on the market - thus its official position as a finalist. The company may yet go on to lift the World Urban Car trophy at the New York International Motor Show in April."

The new IGNIS was first launched in the Japanese domestic market, unveiled for Europe at the Paris Motor Show last Autumn and went on sale in January 2017. In addition to its stylish exterior design it features excellent visibility, compact dimensions and a spacious cabin with ample luggage space. The development goal was to create purely iconic crossover styling that is undoubtedly Suzuki.

IGNIS is powered by a 90PS 1.2-litre Dualjet petrol engine and is available with optional ALLGRIP four wheel drive. It also offers optional SHVS (Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki) technology that lowers CO₂ emissions to 97g/km.

The IGNIS SZ5 model offers the latest in safety technology with stereo cameras monitoring the distance between the vehicle and other objects, as well as the shape of those objects. This new technology is the basis for three advanced safety functions: Dual Camera Brake Support (DCBS), Lane Departure Warning, and Weaving Alert.

In the UK, IGNIS is already proving popular with sales of 560 in its first month.