As rumours about the fourth-gen Suzuki Jimny's Indian launch continue, there's a new development from Japan, and that too a positive one. Nikkei has it on good authority that the mini-SUV is indeed coming to India, albeit as the second-gen Maruti Gypsy.
The fourth-gen Suzuki Jimny's Indian launch has been in the rumour mill for over two years now, and the previous development was that it has been ruled out owing to low estimated demand. Now, citing Osamu Suzuki, Chairman, Suzuki, Nikkei reports that this mini-SUV will spawn the Maruti Gypsy successor. "We are only operating in a third of India's communities," Suzuki said. In mid-2016, it was reported that the fourth-gen Suzuki Jimny will be produced from Suzuki's Gujarat plant for domestic sales and exports. Should the launch take place, this will likely be the plant assigned with the manufacturing.
The global fourth-gen Suzuki Jimny (there's also a JDM-only kei version) measures 3,480 mm (3,645 mm including spare wheel cover), 1,645 mm in width and 1,720 mm in height. It has a 2,250 mm wheelbase and a 210 mm ground clearance. Round headlamps, upright A-pillars, flat roof with drip rails on the edges, prominent wheel arch extensions, squarish, boxy body, bumper-integrated rear combination lamps, horizontal, simplistic dashboard and instruments with cubic housing are some of the interesting design aspects of the latest Suzuki Jimny and what will likely be the all-new Maruti Gypsy.
LED projector headlamps, headlamp washers, 15-inch dark-metallic alloy wheels, 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with sat-nav and Apple CarPlay, automatic climate control and cruise control are some of the key features of the all-new Suzuki Jimny. On the safety front, the mini-SUV is equipped with six airbags, ESP, Dual Sensor Brake Support, Lane Departure Warning, Hill hold Control, Hill Descent Control, TPMS and more.
Under the hood, there's the K15B 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine without a mild-hybrid system. It is tuned to produce 101 PS at 6,000 rpm and 130 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm. 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic are the transmission choices. The fun off-roader sits on a ladder-frame chassis, has a 3-link rigid axle suspension with coil spring and is fitted with the ALLGRIP PRO part-time 4WD system with low-range gear ratio. The approach angle, breakover angle and departure angle are 37 degrees, 28 degrees and 49 degrees respectively.
The next-gen Maruti Gypsy will be a direct competitor of the next-gen Mahindra Thar and the next-gen Force Gurkha.
[Source: asia.nikkei.com]
