Last week, at the Auto Expo 2023 held in India, Suzuki presented some of its novelties. One of them was the five-door version of the Suzuki Jimny, which after the leaks in recent months only came to confirm an open secret. The presentation, however, left a doubt in the environment: Would the five-door Suzuki Jimny come to Europe? The brand has responded to us.
Suzuki has organized these days its traditional solidarity event ‘Litros x Kilos’ in which they challenge motor journalists to reduce, as much as possible, the official average consumption of their models: on this occasion, the Suzuki Vitara and the Suzuki S-Cross. The reduction achieved translates into kilos of staple food, which is subsequently donated to the Madrid Food Bank. In this context, the Japanese brand has spoken about its small SUV and the possibility of seeing it in Spain.
The flame of hope, extinguished
At the moment, they have opened orders in India and, later, it will be the turn of markets such as Africa, Australia and Latin America. The five-door Suzuki Jimny is equipped with the naturally aspirated 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine (102 hp and 130 Nm) from the three-door model. Taking into account that this variant will have a hybrid version, many considered the possibility of see this electrified motor in the larger version… thus opening the door to Europe.
It won’t be like that. Suzuki confirmed, in the aforementioned event, that the five-door Suzuki Jimny will not reach the European market and, therefore, we will not see it in the dealers that the brand has in Spain. This possibility does not enter Japan’s plans, at least for now: yes, those responsible for the brand in our country do not rule out that, in the future, they may change their minds.
Buy a Suzuki Jimny in Spain
It was in 2020 when, due to the strict emission regulations of the European Union, we had to say goodbye to the Suzuki Jimny: it was being a sales success, but the large fines for exceeding the carbon dioxide (CO2) limits appeared, threatening, on the horizon. The Japanese manufacturer, however, found a temporary solution: approved it within the N1 category and began to sell it as an industrial vehicle.
The suzuki jimny pro It’s still the SUV we knew, albeit with a few modifications: the rear seats disappear to make way for a cargo area separated from the front row by a grill. This is the only version available in Spain. For now.
The hybrid version in 2024
We make that point because, last year, we learned that Suzuki was looking for more solutions for its small SUV to return to Europe. An electric version was ruled out because it would mean changing the essence of the Suzuki Jimny: it would not only increase in weight, but also in price. In Japan they have opted for a hybrid variant, whose launch is confirmed for 2024.
There are no more details about it, but the theories did not wait and everything points in two directions. The first of these would be the 129 hp 1.4 microhybrid engine, which would have an electrical block of 13.6 hp and 50 Nm. The second would go through the new 116 hp 1.5 hybrid engine, which has an electric assistant of 33.4 hp and 60 Nm. Although the electrical part plays a small role, it is enough to reduce consumption and emissions, thus lowering its current figures.
