Japanese carmaker Suzuki will soon be making the Jimny from the Indian Maruti plant and export the SUV to international markets such as Brazil, Indonesia and Europe before 2020. The entire manufacture of the next generation Suzuki Jimny will take place in India from the Maruti’s plants.
The next-gen SUV will share the same lightweight platform of the Maruti Baleno, which will help the SUV maneuver the off-road better. The Jimny may be powered by the 1.0-litre Boosterjet petrol engine, shared by the Baleno, and it will be tuned to deliver 110 bhp. A diesel engine may also be on the cards to feature as a later offering.
The Indian launch and version, were it to happen, will likely be rechristened as a successor to the Maruti Gypsy by the Japanese manufacturer’s Indian partner. Built on a similar platform, the Maruti Gypsy just differs by its longer wheelbase.
The Jimny could well turn out to be the second reincarnation of the immensely popular Gypsy, or at least may be based on its platform and design cues. Similarly, the Maruti will also probably make the 3-door into a 4-door sub four-meter SUV, as a 3-door may not be popularly welcome in India. If launched, Mahindra TUV300 would be the closest rival to the Suzuki Jimny.
The Gujarat plant of the Maruti will likely make the Jimny, after the Maruti’s Gujarat plant becomes functional from 2017. The Maruti Baleno and the Swift DZire are also awaiting manufacture from the plant. While for the international markets, the Jimny will continue to be sold as a 3-door model, the Indian-spec Jimny will likely be a 4-door with a longer wheelbase.
