“Anything that starts with Jimmy ends in sales.”
Those aren’t our words. That’s according to Suzuki Australia’s general manager for cars, Michael Pachota. We are inclined to agree with the man, as the Suzuki Jimny continues to rake in sales every year.
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The pint-sized SUV’s range is also growing. The five-door model is a welcome addition to the lineup, giving it a bit of extra practicality. But Suzuki Australia’s boss says we can expect more down the line.
Speaking to Australian motoring media, the executive hinted at electrified versions of the small SUV, along with a pickup body style. Per Pachota, having a hybridized Jimny will help it moving forward in the age of ever tightening emission regulations around the world. As for the full electric model, that one is expected to arrive by 2030 at the earliest.
It’s unknown if the Jimny will get a mild or full hybrid treatment. But given that Suzuki wants to continue selling it worldwide, we suspect the latter as it should pass more stringent emission regs. However, that might take time as the company doesn’t have a full hybrid system it can utilize for the model At the moment, all its in-house hybrid efforts are all mild hybrids.
As for the pickup, Pachota told the Australia press that the project ‘isn’t dead.’ The executive went as far as saying what we could expect out of it. ‘Imagine a Jimny with two seats at the front and nothing at the back?’
With that, the Jimny pickup will likely be a single-cab. After all, Pachota did say just two seats. Should it reach production, it will be interesting to see which wheelbase the Jimny pickup will use.
If you recall back in 2019, Suzuki built a Jimny pickup concept during that year’s Tokyo Auto Salon. Safe to say that it spurred interest in a load-lugging Jimny. Suzuki used the three-door model’s wheelbase to build it then extended the rear section. But now that there’s the five-door with its longer wheelbase, it might make more sense to utilize that chassis instead. It should make it more practical, too.
