From old-school to EV: Suzuki Jimny set to go electric?
Saturday, 28 January 2023
Hot on the heels of Suzuki’s confirmation that it would be producing a five-door, mild hybrid version of its Kiwi off-road favourite gets bigger and goes hybrid
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The news comes via a slide that the Japanese manufacturer reportedly shared with investors late yesterday, detailing the marque product plan for Europe between now and 2030.
The slide teases five upcoming models set to make up Suzuki’s battery EV line-up, and one of the silhouettes in the image is very clearly a Jimny.
The other four models are an unknown small people mover (potentially a kei car), the Suzuki Fronx, the production version of the brand’s recently unveiled EVX concept, and another unknown compact crossover.
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* Kiwi off-road favourite gets bigger and goes hybrid
* Suzuki's first electric vehicle has been revealed, due in 2025
* Five new cars under $30k that will make you smile
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Alongside the silhouettes is a pie chart showing that the brand expects BEVs to account for 80% of its electrified sales, with the balance made up by traditional hybrids. It is unclear from the image whether some models will be solely EV and some solely hybrid, or whether some will be available as both.
It has been rumoured that a Jimny EV could arrive as early as 2024 as part of a facelift across the model’s range.
Gaining a fully electric powertrain would address one of the Jimny’s eternal bugbears; its lack of pace. The standard model’s 75kW/130Nm 1.5-litre petrol engine may be ideal for off-roading, but is also one of the most sluggish powertrains on the market.
A Jimny capable of accelerating to 100kph in well under 10 seconds (it takes 12.7 seconds in the current model) could be a game changer for customers that have steered clear of the nameplate up to this point.
Suzuki is amongst the few remaining manufacturers yet to offer a dedicated BEV for sale. Its EVX concept, which debuted earlier this month, is expected to be the brand’s first EV when it goes into production in 2025.
The news comes off the back of Suzuki revealing the Jimny’s much anticipated five-door variant. Suzuki’s local arm is understood to be in talks about whether to bring the model to New Zealand showrooms.