The existing Suzuki Jimny will soon be discontinued in Europe and at a later stage, a N1 commercial variant could arrive with less features
Suzuki is said to have confirmed the discontinuation of the Jimny from Europe towards the later stages of this year. As a precursor, the Japanese manufacturer will be stopping the dealer supply of the popular off-roading SUV in the coming months.
Ever since the latest generation Jimny went on sale in Japan and other international markets, its demand had always been on the rise. Suzuki ramped up the production to meet the requirement of the descending customers. The reason for stopping the supply is due to the stringent EU emission standards that threatens the existence of small cars in general in Europe.
The tiny off-roader rather has CO2 emission range of up to 170 g/km with kerb weight of only 1,135 kg and thus it does not meet the EU regulations. The brand stated earlier that the Jimny would continue to be on sale in a limited quantity through this year and it would be pulled from the European market next year.
It appears that the timeline has advanced due to the emission regs, as all cars sold by the manufacturers in the Old Continent are legally bound to emit no more than 95 grams per km of CO2 on average. Apparently, the standards do not apply for small brands and heavy vehicle producers, but in Suzuki’s case, the choices are limited as it does not have a battery electric vehicle in its portfolio.
As the S-Cross, Vitara SUV and Swift Sport are arriving with mild-hybrid system, they could cope up with the emission standards but the same cannot be said for the Jimny as it is available with a naturally-aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine.
Suzuki will be completing the deliveries of the customer orders in place and in recent months, the new buyers are put on waiting list rather than placing deposits. For customers longing to own a Jimny though, there is good news as it could return back to the market in N1 commercial avatar at a later stage. While the speculations remain unanswered by Suzuki, it could be a toned-down version with only basic features compared to the existing model.
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