The Suzuki Jimny won’t go electric as the Japanese compact-car brand presses pause on its future electric vehicle (EV) plans, thanks to cooling demand and increasing competition from China.
Speaking to UK magazine Autocar, Suzuki President Toshihiro Suzuki flatly ruled out turning the pint-sized 4×4 into an EV, saying it wouldn’t align with what the Jimny is about.
“If you talk about the Jimny EV, I think it would ruin the best part of the Jimny,” Suzuki-san said.
“I think the core strength of the Jimny is the right weight.”
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The Suzuki Jimny is only sold as a two-seater in the UK and Europe – with a cargo barrier sitting behind the occupants – due to emissions concessions for ‘commercial vehicles’.
By contrast, it’s sold in Australia with four seats across both three- and five-door (XL) body configurations, with power coming from a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine.
While the four-seater Jimny was only expected to return to the UK and Europe if it could go electric – or even adopt a hybrid powertrain – its saving grace in other markets may come in the form of sustainable fuels.
“If we want to keep providing the Jimny to the market as tools for the professionals, maybe the e-fuel, or biofuel utilising the ICE technology would be the way to keep Jimmy supported in the future,” Suzuki-san added.
In a separate report by the publication, Suzuki-san indicated to Autocar it was putting its future EVs on hold, which looks to threaten its planned five-strong rollout by the end of the decade.
“We are in a very difficult situation at this moment as the sales of BEVs are slowing down, and on the other hand affordable and cheap EVs from China are coming into the market, so it is a very difficult time to introduce [further] BEVs (battery-electric vehicles),” the executive said.
“Looking at the current situations, the government incentives for BEVs are going out and [coupled] with Chinese EVs that have very strong [segment] competitiveness you have to think carefully about what type of BEV should be introduced to the market and in what time.”
Jan. 2023 presentation
In January 2023, Suzuki announced plans to launch five battery-electric models in Europe by 2030, with one of the five vehicles teased sharing the Jimny’s unmistakable silhouette.
While Suzuki previously said it wants 80 per cent of its European sales to come from EVs by 2030 – with the remaining 20 per cent boosted by hybrids – this split is reversed in its home market of Japan.
Meanwhile, in India – a major market for Suzuki and where it builds multiple models – the brand wants to launch six EVs by 2030, contributing to 15 per cent of its sales, alongside hybrids accounting for 25 per cent.
e Vitara
Suzuki has made no such sales split targets in Australia, where the brand’s only electrified vehicle on sale is the new Swift, which features a 12-volt mild-hybrid system to produce minimal fuel savings.
It has, however, confirmed ‘full-hybrid’ versions of the Vitara and S-Cross are due in local showrooms next year.
When this occurs, the Jimny will become one of the only Suzuki models – along with the dying Ignis and the upcoming Fronx – sold in Australia without electrification.
It’s expected to continue as the brand’s most popular model, with the arrival of the five-door Jimny XL helping Suzuki to clear an order backlog that stretched out more than 18 months at the peak of demand.
Suzuki has yet to confirm whether it will bring the new e Vitara, revealed earlier today, to Australia. The electric SUV will enter production in India between March and May 2025 for global markets.
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