5-door Maruti Jimny will go on by the middle of next year and it will be offered in both five and seven-seater variants
According to a recent report that emerged on the internet, Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) is gearing up to introduce the Jimny off-roader by the middle of 2023 as it looks to consolidate its SUV portfolio. The largest carmaker in the country will launch the heavily revised Brezza in a month or two and it will be followed by an all-new midsize SUV later this calendar year.
Maruti Suzuki displayed the JDM-spec three-door Jimny Sierra at the 2020 Auto Expo to gauge customer interest for the lifestyle off-roader and it has grabbed plenty of attention from the show-goers and media alike. In 2021, the production of the three-door Jimny commenced in India to meet the global demand as it is shipped to many countries from the Gurugram plant.
Amidst speculations surroundings its launch timeline, the latest report indicates that the Jimny is well on its way to India in the opening quarter of next FY (April to June 2023 period). What is more interesting is that it is rumoured to be sold in multiple configurations (five- and seven-seater layouts). It will directly compete against the second-gen Mahindra Thar, whose five-door variant is also due in the near future.
The report further noted that the pre-pilot trial was scheduled for this month, only to be postponed due to supply chain issues related to the imported components. It is worth noting that Maruti Suzuki’s CEO Hisashi Takeuchi had previously expressed his intention to expand the SUV portfolio. He said, “We have a plan to enhance our product lineup in this SUV space especially,”
The production of the five-door Maruti Suzuki Jimny was about to start by February 2023 but it has now been pushed to March or April due to the supply chain constraints. MSIL is planning to roll out about 75,000 units of the India-spec Jimny in the first years and the seven-seater is expected to make a strong impact upon its arrival as it could be priced aggressively.
The pilot trial for the five-door Jimny will reportedly begin in January 2023 and the off-roader will be localised to about 70 per cent initially. The localisation will be increased eventually. Another source told ET that the PP trial will start by the end of June 2022. The five-seater Jimny will likely be a sub-four-metre SUV and it will be powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine.
It produces 102 PS of maximum power at 6,000 rpm and 130 Nm of peak torque at 4,000 rpm. It could be paired with a five-speed MT or a four-speed AT driving all four wheels through Suzuki’s AllGrip Pro 4WD tech. The Jimny has been in production globally since 1970 and is currently in its fourth generation, which was unveiled four years ago.