The Philippines to get Indonesia-made Jimny?

MANILA: Ever since the all-new Jimny made its way out of the Suzuki stable, the demand for the iconic 4x4 has been growing in leaps and bounds. While Suzuki has been trying to boost the production from some time now, the supply just hasn’t been enough to meet the demand. In order to address this issue and fulfil the growing demand, the Japanese automaker has finally decided to build its newest 4x4 at one more location.

Not only the new production line in Indonesia will help in producing the Jimny in much larger numbers but it will also help in providing the Kosai plant in Japan with some sort of relief. Speaking of why Suzuki chose Indonesia, the automaker has been doing business in the country from a long time now and the production of the K-15b engine is already in full swing in Indonesia. Along with this motor that powers both Jimny and Ertiga, Suzuki Indonesia also manufactures vehicles like the Carry, APV, and Ertiga.

Another reason behind choosing Indonesia could be the history of the country producing previous generations of the Jimny in the past. Suzuki Indonesia has experience of manufacturing all the iterations of the 4x4 barring the one that the 2019 Jimny has succeeded. Why this decision of manufacturing the new Jimny in Indonesia is an interesting one for us is because of both the Philippines and Indonesia lying in the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA).

In case Suzuki goes on to provide the Philippine market with Indonesian-made Jimny, not only the import tariff will be significantly lower for the automaker, but the price of the 4x4 will also go down.

It is a win-win situation for both the automaker, i.e., Suzuki and the Filipinos who are waiting anxiously to get their hands on the iconic, exciting, and bewildering Japanese 4x4. However, we should hold our horses and wait for Suzuki Philippines to make an official announcement before raising our hopes to cloud nine.

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