[GreasyCarb55]

Originally Posted by vivekgk

Why do you assume that the typical Jimny buyer will be buying it as a single do-it-all car? You can't sell a Jimny to someone who wants a practical hatch, or a compact SUV or an MPV, or even a sedan. But then, MSIL already has N number of hatches ranging from 3 lacs to 12 lacs, 2 compact SUVs, 2 MPVs and a sedan, for people who are looking for practicality. The Jimny is a serious offroad machine according to Suzuki, that happens to have a few creature comforts like an AT gearbox and climate control. Same as the Thar. People who buy the Thar or Jimny or Gurkha know what they're getting into, that they'd be making compromises. Of course the Jimny is less spacious,

True, you cannot sell a 3 Door Jimny to someone who's looking for a SUV like the Creta or Venue or a sedan like the City but what if you could? The 5 door Jimny (if executed well) has the potential to lure in Thar buyers but also lure in buyers who might have been looking at something like the Scorpio-N/Classic and as well as buyers who might have been looking at top variant models of cars like the Brezza and Sonet. The Jimny doesn't have to be a niche off road machine, it has the potential to be much more.

Originally Posted by vivekgk

If I already had a family car like a sedan, hatch or CUV, the Jimny would be the perfect weekend getaway vehicle, or even a daily office commuter, with its small size. It probably can't be the only vehicle for a lot of families, but I have a small child who is likely to remain a small child for the next 7-8 years at least, and for me and several others like me, it would be an okay compromise.

The whole point of a 5 door or LWB Jimny is to solve the practicality issue so that a person doesn't have to choose between an off roader and a practical family SUV. It's being designed so that it can be the only vehicle in your garage. How many stories have you heard of people wanting a Thar or Gurkha but pushed it aside to buy something else because of practical reasons? A well executed 5 door Jimny has the potential to shake up the entire 15-25 Lakh SUV, let alone the comparatively small segment in which the Thar sits.

Originally Posted by vivekgk

but then it is a smaller car that costs less.

Nope, even in it's home market of Japan (where cars from Japanese manufacturers like Toyota and Suzuki tend be the cheapest) the JC variant of the JDM 3 Door Jimny Sierra which is the spec sold in markets like Europe and Australia is about 13.5 Lakh (On-Road Japan), I'd add another 2-2.5 Lakh to that amount for the 5 Door + Indian taxes. So even in the best case scenario the Jimny would be at most 2 lakh cheaper than the Thar.

Originally Posted by vivekgk

Currently, the only option for them is the Thar, which has undoubtedly swept up some potential Jimny buyers every year.

True but you've seen what happens to global market Suzuki cars that fail in India (Kizashi, Grand Vitara 2.0/2.4, S-Cross 1.6 Diesel etc) they get considered failures and will never be launched again. Sure, if they launched the 3 Door Jimny they would secure 600-800 sales a month but compared to the 2nd Gen Thar (which pulls in anywhere between 3500 to over 5000 units a month) the 4th gen Jimny would be considered a "Failure" by MSIL and we'll never see another Jimny in India ever again. If it means that I'll have to wait till 2023 for a Jimny that will keep MSIL happy and make the Jimny an Indian market staple then so be it.

[Durango Dude]

Looks cute and purposeful, only hope laymen don't mistake it for an "next gen" S-Presso and probably put a price tag on the Jimny with the S-Presso in mind. It's not in Maruti's blood to do anything 'adventurous' may be that's why they haven't got this here earlier. It's a 'highly' niche vehicle and would cater to those who know what it can do, instead some one who would want an upgrade from a Brezza and that owner may be in for shock. Key is pricing for it to succeed. If it can undercut the Thar my a fair margin then M&M should be concerned for this one hardcore vehicle with a strong reputation.

[vivekgk]

Originally Posted by GreasyCarb55

True, you cannot sell a 3 Door Jimny to someone who's looking for a SUV like the Creta or Venue or a sedan like the City but what if you could? The 5 door Jimny (if executed well) has the potential to lure in Thar buyers but also lure in buyers who might have been looking at something like the Scorpio-N/Classic and as well as buyers who might have been looking at top variant models of cars like the Brezza and Sonet. The Jimny doesn't have to be a niche off road machine, it has the potential to be much more.

You say this as if Suzuki has to take every Jimny off the production line and then grow it into a 5 door to realise its potential. You do realise that they can sell a 3 door which they have right now, and develop the 5 door at the same time, right? Which is what they are doing now, expect they've decided not to sell in India. If people want to wait to buy the 5 door, they will. But there are folks like me who want the SWB 3 door because they like it better. The level of interest that the Jimny has generated in this forum alone is based on the current 3 door version. The Indian market has grown a lot and it's sad that MSIL hasn't seen the light.

The whole point of a 5 door or LWB Jimny is to solve the practicality issue so that a person doesn't have to choose between an off roader and a practical family SUV. It's being designed so that it can be the only vehicle in your garage. How many stories have you heard of people wanting a Thar or Gurkha but pushed it aside to buy something else because of practical reasons? A well executed 5 door Jimny has the potential to shake up the entire 15-25 Lakh SUV, let alone the comparatively small segment in which the Thar sits.

Again, how does this prevent them from launching the 3-door Jimny right now? It is already made here. There is little to no additional cost involved, and what they spend can be easily made up.

Nope, even in it's home market of Japan (where cars from Japanese manufacturers like Toyota and Suzuki tend be the cheapest) the JC variant of the JDM 3 Door Jimny Sierra which is the spec sold in markets like Europe and Australia is about 13.5 Lakh (On-Road Japan), I'd add another 2-2.5 Lakh to that amount for the 5 Door + Indian taxes. So even in the best case scenario the Jimny would be at most 2 lakh cheaper than the Thar.

Production costs are much lower in India compared to Japan because the wages here are so low. While it isn't a good thing if you're working there, it is the reason why India is a global production and export hub for a lot of manufacturers, and drives costs down. That said, even if the 3 door Jimny Sierra cost 13.5 lacs OTR, I'd buy it, because you're getting a proper modern 4WD off roader for under 15L.

True but you've seen what happens to global market Suzuki cars that fail in India (Kizashi, Grand Vitara 2.0/2.4, S-Cross 1.6 Diesel etc) they get considered failures and will never be launched again.

The Kizashi was launched in 2011, and the Grand Vitara even earlier. And they launched these heavy cars without a diesel option, at an unreasonable price. You do remember that in that time, Diesel was king, right? Almost every manufacturer had diesel options for its cars, or were exclusively diesel, like the Cruze. Every car model that came with only a petrol option suffered from poor sales, especially the higher segment, heavier cars. Even Honda realised that they had to offer diesel and offered started offering diesel options for its City and even the CRV. Even the reviews of the Kizashi and the Grand Vitara in Indian media at the time hinted that Suzuki was working on the diesel variants which would be launched soon.

But everyone who wanted a Grand Vitara or a Kizashi got to buy one. And they seem happy with their choice. You can never expect a flagship model to sell as much as a mainstream one, simply because the market isn't there. These are things that every car maker knows. But that doesn't mean that you stop selling the flagship products, because that only makes it worse. When you abandon the buyer, they move on to other brands.

Let's get back to the Jimny and the current scenario. This was a product that caused waves all around the world when it was launched. It sold out wherever it was launched, and is still commanding a premium in almost every market. Also consider that there is a global demand for SUVs in general. and every SUV is selling well. Why would you compare the Jimny with products that were sold more than a decade ago, when the market itself has been changed so much that it is totally unrecognisable?

Let's talk about the S-Cross 1.6 as well. For one, there was quite a hefty premium over the 1.6. Secondly, while the performance was great in the mid range and the top, the tuning wasn't the best, and the car had bad turbo lag, which actually made the 1.3 the easier to drive and the more practical one, as there was no AT option. Ironically, Suzuki were the ones that had the best tune for the Fiat's MultiJet engines.

It wasn't until BS6 that diesel SUV/sedan sales began to drop, and MSIL ran an ad campaign to convince Indians that that diesel was done, because they decided that they were done with diesel.

Originally Posted by GreasyCarb55

Sure, if they launched the 3 Door Jimny they would secure 600-800 sales a month but compared to the 2nd Gen Thar (which pulls in anywhere between 3500 to over 5000 units a month) the 4th gen Jimny would be considered a "Failure" by MSIL and we'll never see another Jimny in India ever again. If it means that I'll have to wait till 2023 for a Jimny that will keep MSIL happy and make the Jimny an Indian market staple then so be it.

Firstly, how and from where did you come up with these 600-800 sales per month numbers? What is your basis? Let me ask one question. If the Thar were cheaper, would it sell more or less? Currently, the Thar AT costs about 20 lacs OTR. Mahindra has increased the price several times since the launch, but the demand has only grown. And several of those customers are folks who got tired waiting for the Jimny. The Thar has a USP and that isn't 4WD or offr-oading prowess. If that were the case, we'd see the Gurkha pull similar nos. The Thar is a good compromise. Like you said, it can seat 4, however uncomfortably, but more importantly, it has refined powertrains and an AT option, which makes it immensely more usable. Most importantly it has the image.

Now, granted the Jimny does not have the image that the Thar has, but MSIL has another badge that has no equal, and has the image: Gypsy. And what did MSIL do with it? It flogged it to death, with no changes other than what the emission norms and the military requirements necessitated. No Diesel engine, no power steering, not even a factory fitted AC, even when they were selling the same model worldwide in civilised versions. A visionary named Behram Dhabar was able to see the demand and asked for a chance, and a brand named Mahindra gave him that chance. Result: The Thar, a brand that rose from nothing and is now at the top of its game.

Secondly, "keep MSIL happy"? Why such a slavish attitude? AFAIK, if they never sell the Jimny in India, its their loss. Sure, I'd love to have a Jimny, but MSIL is not selling it. If another company makes a similar product, I'd buy it instead. I'm willing to bet that the Jimny if launched in its current avatar, would sell even more than the Thar does, because a) it would cost less than the Thar, b) it is smaller, lighter and easier to drive around, and c) it is a Suzuki, which means relatively easy and comparatively inexpensive maintenance as well as better resale value.

[ajayc123]

There are multiple news stories published in the last few months that Jimny will be launched in India in Q1/23. Is this anything close to truth?

[Carma2017]

Originally Posted by ajayc123

There are multiple news stories published in the last few months that Jimny will be launched in India in Q1/23. Is this anything close to truth?

Absolutely it's coming. May be by April 2023. The proto testing is well underway.

[ajayc123]

Originally Posted by Carma2017

Absolutely it's coming. May be by April 2023. The proto testing is well underway.

3 door, 5 door or both ?

[Carma2017]

Originally Posted by ajayc123

3 door, 5 door or both ?

3 door is still export specific.The logic beats me. Somehow Suzuki thinks 5 Door is the one for India.

[jkrishnakj]

I’ve been a Thar fan and owned one too. And I always used to wonder why there are many who fancy a Jimny and are crazy about it.

I don’t wonder anymore. I had a drive on this yesterday at Bali and it was sheer joy. I now understand the excitement of people following this thread.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

I don’t wonder anymore. I had a drive on this yesterday at Bali and it was sheer joy. I now understand the excitement of people following this thread.

Sounds very positive coming from one of our members. Please pen down your thoughts/driving impressions on the Jimny in as much detail as possible with photographs of the vehicle in question for our benefit.

Thank you very much

Cheers

[ajayc123]

Just stumbled upon this. Can anybody validate?

MotorOctane: Two engine options for Maruti Jimny 5-door?

Maruti is expected to offer its ‘AllGrip Pro’ in the country, which is a serious 4×4 system. Now, this setup could be mated to an all-new 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine.

Other than this, a regular 4×2 drivetrain could also be made available. This option would mostly be suitable for people who do not go for off-roading but want an economical lifestyle SUV for regular use. The newly updated K15C that we are getting in the Brezza, Ertiga & XL6 could be offered with this setup.

Link

[Venkatesh]

Jimny 5-door version confirmation and launch timeline?

[ubermensch]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

Jimny 5-door version confirmation and launch timeline?

Attachment 2347262

Boy do I feel cheated. I followed up and apparently they test drove the Jimny that was imported by an individual a few days ago. I was expecting something else entirely

[Emvi]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

Attachment 2347262

Mr. Somnath Chatterjee, you said something big coming soon and asked us to hold on for a day! How many more hours / days do we have to wait Sirji!?

Jimny story is soon turning out to be a never ending saga(if it is not one already) just like those boring TV mega-serials.

[jkrishnakj]

Originally Posted by Cyborg

Sounds very positive coming from one of our members. Please pen down your thoughts/driving impressions on the Jimny in as much detail as possible with photographs of the vehicle in question for our benefit.

Thank you very much

Cheers

Unfortunately Cyborg, it was a very short one. We were at a coffee plantation and I knew that they’ll entice you to spend money on the luwak coffee. I jokingly told the lady there that if I get to drive the Jimmy I’ll buy one cup and before I batted an eyelid, he was offering the keys to me and took me into the estate, where I had a very very short drive (about 1-1.5 km max).

Very compact. Very agile. Very easy to manoeuvre. And loved the seating position and the view. The car was quite rickety and showed it’s age, but didn’t lack performance.

The excitement was a bit high and I missed taking my phone as well to click.

But then, I still have a good memory of driving that blue, old, rickety Jimmy that made me smile for a long time.

[Ragul]

Originally Posted by Emvi

Mr. Somnath Chatterjee, you said something big coming soon and asked us to hold on for a day! How many more hours / days do we have to wait Sirji!?

Jimny story is soon turning out to be a never ending saga(if it is not one already) just like those boring TV mega-serials.

But Jimny is a small car, so that something BIG has to be something else… �� It’s your fault due to an over active imagination.