Maruti to launch Jimny as a Gypsy replacement in 2020, says new report

By early 2020, Maruti Suzuki could actually start producing the latest, 4th generation Jimny in India, as a replacement to the Maruti Gypsy (1st generation Jimny), which has been discontinued. According to Nikkei, Maruti Suzuki is developing a new SUV based on the Jimny Sierra, which will be sold as a competent off roader that is flexible and comfortable enough for everyday use. The Jimny was launched in Japan last year, and ever since, is available in multiple countries across the globe. Owners of the new Jimny have been full of praise for the off road capability of the new car, which is also a lot more modern, safer and more powerful than the version it replaced. Currently, the Jimny is built only in Japan, and exported to most parts of the world. Once Maruti Suzuki starts building the Jimny in India, the country could become an export hub as well.

In fact, there have been many media reports in the past suggesting that the Gujarat factory of Maruti Suzuki would be used to produce the right hand drive variants of the Jimny to meet global demand. Maruti Suzuki, for its part, is yet to confirm this development. Meanwhile, Suzuki of Japan is said to be working on an extended wheelbase version of the Jimny, which will offer a conventional 5 door seat up and more space on the inside.

The long wheelbase model could be the one that’s earmarked for India as the Jimny in three door guise could be unpractical for most people. Off roading in India is still a very niche segment, and to make sure that the new Jimny sells enough for Maruti to recover investments, a long wheelbase version of the vehicle would suit the Indian market better. We now await Maruti Suzuki’s statement on this latest development.

The Suzuki Jimny sold abroad is available with two engine options: a 660c, triple cylinder turbo petrol engine mainly for the Japanese market, and a much larger 1.5 liter-4 cylinder K-Series naturally aspirated petrol engine for the rest of the world. This engine is already on offer with many Maruti Suzuki cars including the Ertiga and Ciaz. Soon, it’ll be offered on the Maruti Vitara Brezza. This engine makes 104 Bhp-138 Nm, and gets a 5 speed manual gearbox as standard.

There’s a four speed torque converter automatic on offer as well. In the Jimny, this engine gets paired to a four wheel drive transfer case that has high and low ratios. The latest Jimny continues to be rear wheel driven, and part time four wheel drive vehicle. It gets a rugged ladder frame chassis, airbags, ABS, ESP, power steering, reverse parking sensors, air conditioning and a touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.