Maruti Suzuki Jimny Electric SUV in the works

Maruti Suzuki recently at the Auto Expo 2023 announced their SUV offensive future plans and showcased the Fronx and the Jimny five-door. Both of the SUVs have been well received by buyers in the country and recently it has now been reported that the company is also in the middle of the development of an all-electric version of Jimny as well. The plans for the new Jimny EV are however a few years down the line and it is expected to hit the market in 2026.

According to reports, the Japanese carmaker will first be unveiling the three-door version of the Jimny EV in Europe where it currently offers the ICE three-door Jimny. The company will then eventually launch the five-door Jimny EV in India. As of now, there is not a whole lot of information available about the forthcoming EV SUV in terms of design and powertrain specs.

But if we were to speculate most likely the company will try to give this electrified SUV a more futuristic look with the help of a rounded-off squarish exterior design. At the front most likely the model will have faux grilles as EVs don’t need a real grille for the cooling system. The pictures of the Suzuki Jimny reimagined as an EV were recently shared on Instagram by creative_ambient.

Also read: Maruti Suzuki greenlights Jimny for launch in India

In terms of electric drivetrain of the reported Jimny EV, it is being speculated that it could come with a 60kWh battery similar to the one used on the eVX concept (the Hyundai Creta EV rival) shown at Auto Expo. Other speculations are that the company could also give this EV SUV two electric motors. One at the front and one at the rear. Both of these motors could be placed on the front and rear axles.

However, the catch for the engineers of the Indo-Japanese brands would be the packaging of the battery pack in a ladder-on-frame SUV. Additionally, the already small size of the Jimny that currently is one of the biggest perks of the SUV could pose a huge issue for the engineers as it will become tougher to accommodate the battery pack in the SUV. Its not that there are no ladder-on-frame EV SUVs, but creating one with these many constraints will be a little difficult task for the company.

According to reports, the company could install the battery pack within the frame to accommodate a bigger battery pack, also it could also use double decker configuration as well to efficiently pack the larger battery for an extended range. Another method by which Maruti Suzuki engineers could add the bigger battery pack to EV SUV is by trying to emulate what Toyota did with its recently unveiled electrified iteration of its pickup the Hilux. Maruti could place the battery below the frame with a protector installed below, however the biggest problem with this will be the ground clearance. The company would have to raise the vehicle in order to maintain a bigger ground clearance if it wants to keep the SUVs major selling point that is its off-road capabilities.

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