According to recent reports, the launch of Maruti Suzuki Jimny is likely to get delayed due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. Instead of October/November this year, the compact SUV is now expected to launch in the Indian market in early 2021. It is one of the most sought-after cars from the brand that has been immensely popular with the crowd ever since its initial unveiling back in 2018.
At present, the Jimny is being manufactured at Suzuki’s Kosai plant located in Japan which currently churns out 4.90 lakh units of the SUV in a year at its full capacity. Thus to cater to the increased production demand as well as to reduce the high waiting period for the Suzuki Jimny, the manufacturers have decided to start the assembly line for the production of the SUV at its Sanand plant in Gujarat, India.
The Indian plant is expected to roll out 4000-5000 units of the Jimny in a month, most of which will be imported to the international markets. The reports also suggest that the production of the SUV at the Sanand plant will commence soon while the export will start in the coming months. One can expect the India launch of the SUV to take place 6 months after the beginning of exports from the Sanand plant.
Since Maruti Suzuki Jimny is one of the flagship products from the brand to be launched with a hefty price tag, the plans to launch the Jimny in the Indian market were not confirmed by the brand earlier though considering that the brand will now export its units to the other international markets from India, the economy can be met.
One can expect the Maruti Suzuki Jimny to be launched at a price tag around INR 10 lakh and will be sold in the Indian markets via the NEXA dealerships. The off-road compact SUV will be powered by the 105HP/138Nm K15B 1.5-litre petrol engine that currently powers the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza facelift, Ertiga, XL6 and more. The engine will be mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox as well as an optional 4-speed automatic transmission.