Maruti Suzuki has begun assembling the Jimny SUV in India ahead of its launch next year. 50 units of the three-door Jimny have been assembled at Maruti Suzuki’s Gurugram facility from CKD kits imported from Japan.
- Maruti to begin export of Jimny from India soon
- Limited trial assembly done on kits imported from Japan
- Five door version for India only likely to hit showrooms next year
Maruti Suzuki has begun trial assembly of the three-door Jimny in India. Done on a line in Gurugram, similar to the one also used for the body-on-frame Gypsy, this first batch of 50 cars are actually produced from imported CKD kits.
As we had earlier stated, India would get a five-door iteration of the Jimny in place of the traditional three-door that will be produced here. Maruti Suzuki officials are of the opinion that a five door version of the car is needed for the Indian market, despite the added expense and time needed to re-engineer the SUV. Interestingly Mahindra is also working on building a five-door version of the Thar, to give it a more mainstream appeal.
Suzuki Jimny: More information
The body on frame Jimny has a similar configuration to that of a Gypsy and a Mahindra Thar. Very different from monocoque based SUVs like the Brezza, the Jimny is powered by a longitudinally mounted Suzuki K15B engine that drives either the rear wheels or all four. Making 105hp, this 1.5-litre petrol engine is the same unit, that when transversely located, also drives the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Ertiga, XL6 and Ciaz’s front wheels. The Jimny currently also gets a 5-speed manual and 4-speed torque convertor automatic. Meanwhile, a four-wheel drive system with low-range is also standard.
In India the Suzuki Jimny will go up against the Mahindra Thar, that’s also slated to go on sale as a five door later in its model life.
Image source: Rahul Yadav via 4X4 India on Facebook
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