Mumbai - The Suzuki Jimny is widely loved for its cute-as-a-button looks and adventure-ready 4x4 ability, and while many fans love it for its small size, it is simply too small to meet the needs of some potential customers.
A five-door, long-wheelbase Suzuki Jimny has been rumoured for quite some time now, but a new report out of India claims to shed some light on the long-awaited addition to the range.
According to The Economic Times of India’s ET Auto website, the five-door Jimny is set to go into production in India from around April 2023, after having been pushed back a few months due to Covid-related delays.
But wait, there’s more.
ET Auto’s sources have also stated that the five-door Suzuki Jimny will be available in both five-seat and seven-seat configurations.
Although it will inevitably be significantly longer than the 3.65 metre three-door model, the five-door Suzuki is still likely to be less than four metres in length, the publication says, in order to fit within India’s lower tax bracket for smaller vehicles.
We’ve got new info on the Suzuki Jimny 5-door’s world debut timeline and engine details: https://t.co/w6f6vgkuL4
— Autocar India (@autocarindiamag) May 17, 2021
Power is said to come from the current model’s familiar 1.5-litre normally aspirated engine, which produces 75kW and 130Nm. There are also rumours of a 1.4-litre turbopetrol engine for other markets such as Europe.
At this stage it’s unclear whether the five-door Jimny is coming to South Africa. However, given how popular the little off-roader is, with just under 500 units having been sold in the last month alone, we’d say it’s a no-brainer for the local market.