Going electric 'would ruin' cult favourite 4WD: Suzuki boss rules out EV and hybrid version of Jimny 4x4 and instead will focus on commercial use like a mini LandCruiser 70 Series: Report

At the launch of Suzuki’s first ever electric car, the eVitara, President Toshihiro Suzuki poured cold water on the prospect of the much-rumoured electric Jimny. 

“If you talk about the Jimny EV, I think it would ruin the best part of the Jimny,” Suzuki-san told British outlet Autocar, before saying he believes the Jimny’s core strength is being “the right weight”.

He also noted electric car demand is in a state of flux and may not be the best investment for Suzuki, which sells almost half its volume in India. 

“Affordable and cheap EVs from China are coming into the market, so it is a very difficult time to introduce [further] BEVs,” said Suzuki. 

The Jimny as we know it in Australia was dropped from the UK market in 2020 due to emissions regulations, however it remains on sale in two-seat light commercial vehicle trim wearing 15-inch steel wheels — it looks suitably tough. 

For its future in the United Kingdom, the Jimny looks like it will continue as a lightweight but combustion-engined alternative to the Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series, with Suzuki suggesting biofuel, e-fuels and other combustion engine technologies are expected in its future. 

Suzuki-san also denied a strong, Toyota-style hybrid, would suit the Jimny’s application. 

Suzuki’s Australian arm has commented before, ruling out an EV in the current ladder frame set-up but suggesting a hybrid would be appreciated for our market, especially with New Vehicle Efficiency Standards (NVES) approaching rapidly.

It wouldn’t be as simple as swapping the Swift’s mild-hybrid ‘Z12E’ engine in, as the Jimny’s 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine is mounted longitudinally (North-South) rather than transversely (or East-West). 

Regardless of the future, it seems Suzuki has shifted gears from last year when it shared a teaser image depicting a whole range of silhouettes, including new-look Jimny, promising five electric cars would be in market by 2030. 

The fourth generation Jimny was unveiled in July 2018 and went on sale in Australia in January 2019 in three-door form. Five years on the car hasn’t changed majorly, save for the addition of a practical five-door model in 2023. 

Suzuki's rugged four-wheel drive has plenty of life left in it if the third-gen Jimny is anything to go by, as it was manufactured in Japan from launch in 1998 right up to the fourth-gen’s release 20 years later. 

Suzuki has shown it isn’t afraid to play with the formula adding the five-door model and there is chat about a future pick-up/ute version in the future. 

Toyota has also shown this formula works with its shrunken HiLux Champ model, which is expected to spawn a 4WD a little bigger than the Jimny in the rumoured mini LandCruiser FJ.