After months of it being hyped up, the future of the Suzuki Jimny electric could be on shaky ground. That’s following a recent hot take from the Japanese automaker’s own CEO.
As quoted by Autocar UK, Toshihiro Suzuki said “If you talk about the Jimny EV, I think it would ruin the best part of the Jimny.” Quite the hot take, especially coming from the company president.
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Suzuki added, “I think the core strength of the Jimny is the right weight.” So, does this mean that the Jimny EV is cancelled? Perhaps not, but the CEO’s words will have significant bearing on its progress. Why build a car the company’s head doesn’t like?
That said, the company hasn’t nixed the idea of mild electrification for the small 4x4. Suzuki has been building MHEVs for years, any there might still be a chance of it being applied to the Jimny. It’s a relatively low-cost solution and won’t add as much weight to the vehicle.
It’s worth pointing out that the current-generation Suzuki Jimny might be in for a long production cycle. Remember, it took 20 years before the SUV received a full model change. That 1.5-liter will likely carry on for quite a while, a plus for markets that are still in the midst of expanding their respective EV charging infrastructure.
For now, Suzuki (the CEO, not the company) would rather concentrate on the Jimny being a utility vehicle. “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 Jimny supported in the future,” said the executive.
The company isn’t showing out electrification altogether, though. Suzuki just launched the e-Vitara, its first mass-produced EV. It will make more EVs down the line given the direction of the industry, but perhaps just not with the Jimny.
