Suzuki to discontinue sales of Jimny in Europe

Suzuki has decided to discontinue sales of the Jimny in Europe, a move announced a few years ago, owing to stricter European emission norms. In the company's European Line-up, the Jimny will make way for newer models, which will be primarily Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs).

The Jimny sold in Europe, like its Indian counterpart, comes with Suzuki’s K15B 1.5-litre petrol engine with either a 5-speed manual or an automatic gearbox. While Europe does not get Jimny 5-door, the smaller Jimny 3-door SUV still emits relatively high CO2 levels — 154g/km or 170g/km depending on the transmission choice. These figures are well above the 95g/km fleet average, which led Suzuki to axe the Jimny from its passenger vehicle line-up in 2021.

The Jimny is currently sold as an N1 category commercial vehicle with two seats in many European markets. While the SUV is still available in some countries, the brand has already stopped taking fresh orders in most markets, except for a few including Germany. Suzuki has introduced a swansong for the model in select regions, called the Jimny Horizon edition, which will be limited to 900 units. It gets a unique paint scheme, special graphics and a few more differentiating bits over the standard Jimny. The Jimny Horizon edition is also based on the Jimny commercial variant, which means it is a two-seater.

While the reasons for discontinuing Jimny in Europe vary from country to country, they still boil down to the stricter emission regulations being rolled out through the continent. In the UK, Suzuki has attributed the decision to the country’s zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which forces manufacturers to sell an increasing proportion of EVs over the next decade, according to our sister publication, Autocar UK. This regulation starts at 22 percent in 2024, rises to 28 percent in 2025, and to 80 percent in 2030. Manufacturers face a GBP 15,000 (about Rs 16 lakh) penalty for every ICE car sold above the permitted proportion.

Additionally, Suzuki is also looking at offsetting the CO2 emissions it produces by introducing more electric vehicles in the European market. The brand will introduce the eVX electric SUV sometime next year and had also revealed plans for an all-electric Jimny, which will go on sale in Europe first. 

While sales of the Jimny 3-door will end in Europe, the SUV, in its 3-door and 5-door avatars, will continue to be available in other markets. The Jimny 5-door is exclusively made in India and is exported to a long list of international markets. The SUV has been a slow seller in India, but Suzuki has been sending the made-in-India Jimny to multiple left and right-hand drive markets, and has exported over 35,000 units so far.