Jimny set to make its way to India at the Auto Expo 2020

MANILA: So, here we are at it again. It seems as if it will not just the Futuro-e concept that will lighten up the Maruti Suzuki's booth at India's biggest annual automobile carnival, the Auto Expo 2020. Alongside the recently-teased EV SUV concept Futuro-e, the Indian masses will also get to witness the newest iteration of the Suzuki Jimny, a renowned 4x4 SUV around the globe. Following its inception in 2018, the all-new Suzuki Jimny has seen the crowd hop around to get its hands on the Japanese 4x4 as early as possible.

However, due to the fact that the new Jimny is produced solely in Kosai, Shizuoka, Japan, customers around the world are facing challenging waiting periods of as long as one year. Coming back to today's story that Maruti Suzuki will be showcasing the Jimny at Auto Expo 2020 in India, and the sight of the 4x4 might end up being the first and the last, as Suzuki doesn't seem to be too interested in launching the three-door SUV in India. Moreover, the Japanese automaker doesn't find feasible to produce a low-volume five-door model for India.

The fourth-generation Suzuki Jimny is powered by the K15B 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine that makes 102 PS of maximum power and a peak torque of 130 Nm. The 4x4 also benefits from Suzuki’s AllGrip Pro part-time four-wheel-drive system. As we already know, the Jimny is sold in Japan as a Kei car and houses a 660cc turbocharged petrol.

Another news regarding the Suzuki Jimny tells us that the Japanese automaker has decided to stop selling the 4x4 in Europe. Due to the stricter European norms for CO2 emissions set to come into effect in 2021, each carmaker would be able to have a maximum fleet average of 95g of CO2/km. The Suzuki Jimny is rated at 154g/km and 170g/km for the manual and automatic gearbox, respectively, and won't comply with the new norms. Hence, the automaker will focus on selling the Swift and Ignis, both of which get a 12V hybrid system. Moreover, there are also the S-Cross and Vitara SUV which feature a new K14D 1.4-litre petrol-fed engine and a 48V hybrid system.

Interestingly, Suzuki will bring the Jimny back in the European market with the same 1.5-litre petrol engine in 2021 as an N1 commercial vehicle. Being an N1 commercial vehicle, the 4x4 will not be required to meet the new stricter 95 g CO2/km norms. Furthermore, reports also suggest that the standard passenger Jimny will also return to the European market with a new engine that will adhere to the 95 g CO2/km norms.

Also Read:2020 Tokyo Auto Salon to feature retro Suzuki Jimnys by DAMD