Monday, June 08, 2020
By Kamal Swami
Maruti Suzuki Jimny May Be Launched As A 5-Door Vehicle
The off-roader Jimny from the Japanese carmaker Suzuki has been one of the highly awaited vehicles in the Indian car market for two years. The carmaker also showcased the vehicle during the Indian Auto Expo 2020 held earlier this year to assess the response of Indian car enthusiasts.
It would be interesting to know that the parent company Suzuki had already launched the fourth generation of the Jimny in the international market back in 2018. In India, Jimny has been referred to as an advanced version of Gypsy which was one of the highly preferred vehicles among the car lovers who loved driving on the rugged terrain. Therefore, there has been a huge demand for the Jimny. However, according to Mr. C.V. Raman, Senior Executive Director, MSIL, “the 3-door Suzuki Jimny will not work in India and there is no point in bringing it down as CBU”. There are chances that the company might not even prefer to bring the Jimny through CKD route, but might launch it as a locally manufactured product.
Despite this, the company is not assured about the success of this 3-door petrol-powered vehicle in India. Commenting on this Mr. Raman said, that we cannot expect Indian buyers to pay the price determined for the Jimny in India. In his words, “a business decision has to be made though it is fine to have emotions. We strongly believe that emotions play a considerable part in a product’s reception. To many (including those who do not consider themselves as ‘petrolheads’), cars are more just a mode of transportation. In this case, the iconic Maruti Gypsy is the main element that instilled an exclusive appeal in Suzuki’s popular off-roader. Of course, it is a known fact that the Jimny would not be a big seller in traditional Maruti Suzuki fashion. But it could still create a market quite wider than what is usually referred to as a niche. At the moment, our market has no direct rival to the Suzuki Jimny except for Mahindra’s much-awaited 2020MY Thar”.
Final Word: Based on the above discussion it seems that MSIL is not in any mood to launch the Jimny in its original format as it is offered in the international market, but might introduce it as a five-door FWD vehicle at a compatible price that suits to the pocked of Indian buyers. Before this, there were reports that Suzuki is planning to use MSIL Gujarat’s plant in India for the production of Jimny.
