Maruti Suzuki begins exporting Jimny SUVs from India

It was reported last year that Maruti Suzuki India would begin producing the fourth-generation Suzuki Jimny in India for export, and the company has now delivered. It recently announced that the first batch of 184 units has left from Mundra port in Gujarat to Columbia and Peru in Latin America.

According to Kenichi Ayukawa, managing director and CEO of Maruti Suzuki India, the Jimny is manufactured at the company’s Gurugram plant in Haryana and shares the same specification as the export models produced at the Suzuki Motor’s Kosai plant in Japan. The company plans to expand exports to other Latin American markets as well as the Middle East and Africa in the future.

Export models have different specifications from JDM units, the latter made specifically to meet kei car regulations. The Jimny sold in Japan measures 3,395 mm long, 1,475 mm wide and 1,725 mm, with the only engine option being a R06A 658 cc turbocharged three-cylinder engine making 64 PS and 96 Nm of torque. Customers there get part-time four-wheel drive as standard, with a choice of a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission.

Meanwhile, the Jimny made by Maruti Suzuki India is larger at 3,645 mm long, 1,645 mm wide and 1,720 mm tall, although the wheelbase is the same across all versions at 2,250 mm. Power comes from a K15B 1.5 litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder with the same AWD system and transmission options mentioned above.

For now, the Jimny is only made in three-door form globally, although Autocar India reports that a five-door version will be launched in India later this year. Sources told the publication that the new model will be longer than the export model, although its length will not exceed the four-metre mark to benefit from lower taxes in the country.

The post Maruti Suzuki begins exporting Jimny SUVs from India appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

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