Suzuki introduced the first generation of the Ignis in 2000, working together with GM and Subaru.
The result exceeded their expectations.

Suzuki was known as a great carmaker for small vehicles. It also had a big experience in building 4x4 vehicles, such as the Samurai. But it lacked the technology to offer an all-wheel-drive vehicle. On the other hand, Subaru was good at that and hoped to enter a market where it couldn’t convince the customers. For the Australian market, GM could sell the car with the Chevrolet bow-tie on the grille.

In 2000, the MPV market was still important, and almost no other carmaker offered crossovers to the market. The car’s headlights resembled those found on the Suzuki Swift, but bigger and with integrated turn-signals at their outer corners, at the bottom. Despite being offered as a crossover, the bumper was designed to fill the urban vehicle’s tastes, with round fog-lights and a grille at the bottom to help to cool the engine.

Inside, it was room enough for four adults due to the high roof, but not that much legroom in the back if all the occupants were above 6 ft (180 cm) tall. With its small trunk, the Ignis was good enough for a city vehicle. The rear split-folding bench seatback could add some more room for a long trip if only two passengers were on-board. The instrument cluster featured a typical Japanese design, with four dials. The fuel level and the coolant temperature were placed on the outer sides, while the speedometer and the tachometer took the middle.

The Ignis featured a choice of two engines: a 1.3-liter and a 1.5-liter. The former was mostly used on the export markets, while the latter was for the Japanese domestic market.