A couple of weeks back, word on the street suggested that Suzuki has planned to bring the Jimny SUV with a second-gen Gypsy nameplate. A long queue of enthusiasts who bemoaned for the absence of SUV that India very well deserved rejoiced. However, putting the speculation to rest for the last time, Maruti Suzuki’s Senior Executive Director of Engineering has confirmed that the SUV won’t be coming to India any time soon.
Speaking to Autocar Pro in an interview, Raman said “The three-door is a very niche segment in India. What is required for India is a five-door model. That means we have to do a new development, which would require time and cost. The possible volume against the required investment does not make sense for us.”.
Earlier, rumours in the industry suggested that the car was all ready to make an entry into the Indian market. The new Jimny was launched in Japan last year and has garnered a huge positive response for its off-road capabilities and on-road refinement. We rode the SUV in Ukraine and came back with a stupid grin for the car. At the moment, the Jimny is only built in Japan from where it is exported to the rest of the world. However, in light of the growing demand, recent reports suggest that Maruti Suzuki could kick off the production of a right-hand-drive version of the SUV at its Gujarat plant.
Earlier, Suzuki had hinted about a long-wheelbase version of the Jimny that will arrive in a five-door, unlike the current three-door variant. It could be speculated that the same car might reach the Indian market as the three-door version will prove to be unpractical for the Indian market. Off our shores, the
Jimny is available with two engine options including a 660-cc triple-cylinder turbo petrol engine exclusively for the Japanese market, and a much larger 1.5-litre four-cylinder K-Series naturally aspirated petrol engine for the rest of the world. The latter already powers the Ertiga and Ciaz sold in India.
For the foreign markets, there is a four-speed torque converter automatic as well. This gets paired to a four-wheel-drive transfer case that carries both high and low ratios.
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