The five-door version of the India-specific Maruti Suzuki Jimny is expected to launch in India sometime next year with high local content
Earlier this year, Maruti Suzuki showcased the Jimny at the 2020 Auto Expo and it gained plenty of attention amongst the media and show goers. The speculations surrounding the Jimny’s debut for India have been there for long and we could be heading on the right path towards its launch finally. Unlike the global-spec Jimny, the off-roader bound for India could have better practicality.
The India-specific Maruti Suzuki Jimny will be a five-door model with a roomier cabin in comparison and it will compete against the soon-launching Mahindra Thar and the forthcoming Force Gurkha. Since the new Thar has transformed itself into a lifestyle based off-roading SUV, the Jimny will have its work cut out upon arrival in India.
Utilising MSIL’s local manufacturing prowess, the three-door version will be exported elsewhere too. There is no secret in the Japanese manufacturer facing huge demand for the latest generation Jimny across Europe as well as its home market. The company has struggled to meet the production deadlines in Japan, exacerbated by the global health crisis in recent months.
The three-door Suzuki Jimny will be locally assembled after the kits brought in from Japan while the locally produced version for India is expected to carry an aggressive price range. It will more likely be sold through Maruti Suzuki’s premium Nexa dealerships and the company will be expanding the Nexa portfolio in the coming years with the inclusion of new products including a mid-size SUV.
The mid-size SUV appears to be co-developed by Suzuki and Toyota based on Raize compact SUV’s architecture and it could be launched in 2022 – a year following the debut of the India-spec Jimny. The off-roader will likely be slotted below the mid-size SUV and it could cost between Rs. 9.5 lakh and Rs. 12.5 lakh (ex-showroom).
It will act as a spiritual successor to the Maruti Suzuki Gypsy and expect it to be powered only by the 1.5-litre four-cylinder SHVS petrol engine found in the Vitara Brezza, Ertiga and others. It may continue to generate a maximum power output of 104.7 PS and 138 Nm of peak torque. In the Jimny, both two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive configurations could be made available.