Maruti Suzuki to begin Jimny 5-door production in April

Following the reveal of its five-door Jimny SUV at the Auto Expo 2023 on January 12, Maruti Suzuki India had opened bookings and received over 15,000 bookings in just three weeks. Since then, bookings have crossed the 18,000 mark.

Slated to go on sale in May 2023, bookings for the iconic SUV are underway and ahead of its launch, Autocar India has revealed fresh details on the production and allocation of Maruti Suzuki’s sub-four-metre off-roader. 

According to sources, it is learnt that the company will commence production of the Jimny in April 2023 and plans to manufacture around 100,000 units a year. Of this, Maruti will allot around 66% for domestic sales, with the balance 34% earmarked for exports. Maruti Suzuki is targeting production of around 7,000 Jimnys for the Indian market every month. 

The Jimny is available in a total of four variants and it is likely that Maruti Suzuki will prioritise the production of the top-spec Alpha trim. 

The Jimny is powered by a 105hp, 1.5-litre K15B petrol engine mated to either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed torque-converter automatic transmission. In terms of off-road gear, it gets Suzuki’s AllGrip Pro 4WD system with a manual transfer case and a low-range gearbox with ‘2WD-high’, ‘4WD-high’ and ‘4WD-low’ modes. The Jimny is also underpinned by a rugged ladder-frame chassis.

The Jimny is available in just two trims – Zeta and Alpha – where the latter gets the bells and whistles, including auto headlamps, SmartPlay Pro+ infotainment system and Arkayms sound system. However, Maruti Suzuki is offering safety features like six airbags and hill-hold assist as standard. You can read a detailed breakdown of features here.

Maruti Suzuki is expected to price the Jimny in the region of Rs 12 lakh and it is likely to go on sale in May 2023. While at launch, it will have no direct rivals, Mahindra & Mahindra and Force Motors are also developing 5-door iterations of the Thar and Gurkha, respectively. 

Jimny EV coming in 2026 

Meanwhile, Suzuki Motor Corp is working on an all-electric Jimny, which will first go on sale in Europe in a three-door guise. A five-door Jimny EV will follow and that will be made in India. Little else is known on this project albeit Maruti Suzuki could use the 60kWh battery pack that was used on the eVX concept also showcased at Auto Expo 2023.  

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