Suzuki Jimny has been generating headlines ever since it was showcased at the 2020 Auto Expo in February. Since then, there have been a plethora of speculations about its tentative launch in the Indian market but nothing concrete has been announced by Maruti Suzuki yet. Just a few days back, it was rumored to debut in a more conventional 5-door Jimny avatar by the festive season of 2020 but now we come to learn that Maruti Suzuki Jimny is still under consideration and there is no confirmed launch date for the rugged off-roader in India.
Recently, Shashank Srivastava, Executive Director, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, in an interaction with Times Drive, clearly said that nothing is finalized yet for the Jimny, without mincing any words. He added that though the Jimny received a phenomenal response from the Indian audience when it was showcased at the 2020 Auto Expo but the company is still evaluating whether to launch it or not. Mr. Srivastava refrained from naming the hardships that are to be faced by Maruti Suzuki in Jimny's India launch, but we can safely assume that the production of the 5-door version specifically for our country will be a costly affair for the company as the 3-door version due to its compact length and cramped boot space would make very little sense here.
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Besides the additional cost that the company would incur by developing the Jimny 5-door version for India, it is also learnt that the extra length might also directly impact the off-roader's handling aspect. Also, pricing would play a substantial role in the success of Jimny and if priced in a range of Rs 8-10 Lakhs, it will eat up the sales of Vitara Brezza and S-Cross. And, if Maruti intends to price it in a range of Rs 10-13 Lakhs then it will face the heat from some of the most formidable SUVs in the Indian market such as Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and Mahindra Scorpio. However, if Maruti shows confidence in the product by pricing it in excess of Rs 13 Lakhs, then it is already the end of road for the Jimny even before its launch. Hence, these are the two biggest challenges that Maruti Suzuki is facing right now.