Everyone like a left-field success story, and on first impression the new Suzuki Ignis fits the bill.
Launched in the middle of January this year, the retro-cool Suzuki city car attracted signifiant attention for its unusual design and crossover ground clearance.
But the real question was whether anyone would actually buy something resembling a Pokémon on wheels.
Well, after two-and-a-half months on sale, the company has sold 779 units, including 324 in March. Short of the 400 per month it boldly predicted, but not shabby.
For context, that volume is significantly higher than the Mitsubishi Mirage (573) or Holden Spark (278) micro cars, or the Holden Barina (674) and Ford Fiesta (494) light cars.
Suzuki actually classifies the Ignis as a small SUV. If we go along this road, the Ignis has outsold the Nissan Juke (466), Ford EcoSport (364) and Fiat 500X (235).
On another Suzuki note, the new Baleno, with 810 sales YTD (more than the Renault Clio and Skoda Fabia combined) is helping the Ignis cover a hole left by low Swift stock ahead of the imminent arrival of a new-generation mode.
The point of this apparent puff piece? Sometimes it’s nice to remember that weird can sell. Whether Suzuki can sustain this momentum is the next challenge.
MORE: 2017 Suzuki Ignis review
MORE: 2017 Holden Spark LT v Suzuki Ignis GLX comparison