Maruti Suzuki readies Gurgaon plant for 5-door Jimny production from Q1 FY2024

Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) is gearing up to bring its parent Suzuki Motor Corp’s much-awaited model – the Jimny SUV – to the Indian market. The Jimny was first showcased at the 2020 Auto Expo and has ever since seen tremendous customer response for its SUV credentials in a compact footprint.

Starting January 2021, MSIL had been building the three-door version of this global SUV in the Suzuki line-up and exporting it to both left- and right-hand-drive markets like those in Africa and the Middle East from its mother plant in Gurgaon, Haryana.

However, sources have revealed to Autocar Professional that the company has stopped production of the three-door Jimny at this facility earlier in October.

The assembly line inside MSIL’s Gurgaon plant which was earlier dedicated to the older Gypsy model and was being used to produce the three-door Jimny, is now being readied to manufacture the India-specific, five-door Jimny SUV (codename: YWD) from the first quarter of FY2024, likely from April next year.  

The Jimny remains a body-on-frame SUV like its predecessor Gypsy and that is the reason why it is going to be manufactured at an independent assembly line in this plant which also produces the XL6, Ertiga and Eeco – which are all monocoque vehicles in contrast.

Autocar Professional has learnt that MSIL is targeting to produce around 5,000-6,000 units every month of the five-door Jimny which could also be rebranded as Gypsy for the domestic market and could therefore see the resurrection of the iconic brand after it was discontinued in 2018 considering stricter emission, crash, and safety norms in the country.

Made-for-India Jimny tech specs
The Jimny will be powered by Suzuki’s 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. Interestingly, the YWD will sport a longitudinally-mounted MSIL K15B engine that also powers the export-oriented three-door Jimny and produces 102hp and 130Nm in these variants. This engine, however, is different from the carmaker’s K15C mill that has been standardised to do duty in MSIL’s four UV models – the Ertiga, Brezza, XL6 and Grand Vitara. Its Ciaz sedan, however, continues to rely on the K15B unit.

The K15C is an upgraded form of the 1.5-litre K-series engine and comes equipped with Suzuki’s DualJet technology that offers better fuel efficiency and lower emissions. The five-door Jimny will remain under four metres in length and is likely to offer 210mm of ground clearance like its three-door export version.

Back to roots
In terms of drivetrain options, the five-door Jimny will get options of a 5MT and will see the traditional 4-speed automatic transmission making a comeback in the MSIL UV portfolio.

While this ageing gearbox was replaced with a brand-new 6-speed AT unit in the new Brezza, XL6 facelift, Ertiga as well as the new Grand Vitara, it continues to do duty in the Ciaz sedan. MSIL is likely to offer the Suzuki All-Grip Pro AWD option with a low-ratio gearbox with both manual as well as automatic transmission variants of the Jimny.

Showcase at Auto Expo 2023
The Jimny will strengthen Maruti Suzuki’s assault in the SUV category – a body type which has been witnessing surging demand due to buyer preferences and now contributes to over 50 percent of the new car sales in the country. The five-door Jimny is likely to be showcased at the upcoming Auto Expo 2023 in January.

MSIL’s upcoming SUV will be positioned as a family-lifestyle vehicle to compete against the Mahindra Thar and Force Gurkha, and will empower India’s largest carmaker to grow its overall share in the country by introducing more SUVs – a segment where it is keen to increase its market share, which stood at 16.87% in the April-October 2022 period of the ongoing financial year.

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