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Suzuki planning an electric Jimny among EV, hybrid onslaught

Suzuki introduced the larger, five-door Jimny earlier this month, and an investor presentation detailing the automaker's growth strategy to 2030 shows there's more in store. The automaker's mission is to expand its lineup with vehicles that move toward the "realization of a carbon neutral society." This entails Europe, India and Japan receiving five or six new hybrid and/or battery-electric models each. In Europe, the first of Suzuki's five BEVs will show in financial year 2024; when the rollout is complete, it will include an electric Jimny — the silhouette in the upper right. According to Australian outlet Drive, starting from the upper left, the others are a small people-mover, an electric version of the Fronx crossover Suzuki debuted at Auto Expo in India earlier this month, an unknown hatchback, and the retail version of the EVX concept. An electric Jimny would get the dinky 4x4 back to Europe without any classification trickery. The Japanese brand ended export of the regular four-seat model to Europe in 2020 when it could no longer pass EU emissions. It now sends the same model as a two-seat commercial vehicle. Suzuki sells as many as seven models in European markets not including the Jimny, six of them mild hybrids, one a plug-in hybrid. There have been rumors of a hybrid Jimny for a couple of years, and it's predicted the new five-door will get a hybrid option shortly. The investor presentation deck predicted an eventual powertrain ratio in Europe of 80% battery-electric vehicles, 20% hybrid vehicles. We expect that would mean a near overhaul of the European ranges with current models dropping out in favor of hybrids with electric options. What's unexpected is that the battery-electric Jimny silhouette doesn't show on the slides for the Indian or Japanese markets. In Japan, Suzuki expects sales to end up 80% hybrid, 20% EV, the opposite of Europe. The Indian outpost, known as Maruti Suzuki, is the automaker's largest market, and one local outlet said 1,000 shoppers have paid to reserve a spot for the five-door Jimny every day since the truck's debut. The expected powertrain breakdown there is much more varied than the other two regions at 15% battery-electric vehicles, 25% hybrid, and a 60% share of internal combustion made up of a mix of compressed natural gas, biogas, ethanol and "etc." This would definitely be a market for the hybrid Jimny whenever it shows.

2019 Suzuki Jimny images leaked — first new generation in 20 years

The new-generation Suzuki Jimny is ready for a reveal. Photos of a production version shown at a preview event leaked online via Instagram, and they show a front shot and a front three-quarter shot of the completely redesigned small SUV. The lines and side sheetmetal pressings of the no-nonsense, go-anywhere Jimny are a clear nod to classic '70s and '80s models. The Australian website CarAdvice notes that the lime green Jimny seen here is clearly a home market version without any wheel arch extensions, as the vehicle needs to be as narrow as possible to comply with Japanese width regulations — it is alsos likely that the Jimny here is powered with a 660cc engine from the tiny kei car class. Outside of Japan, the hips might be wider, and a recent spy shot depicting finished vehicles at the factory shows slightly wider wheel arches. Every millimeter counts, it seems — just when you want to avoid scraping a rock on an off-road trail. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Export market Jimnys should have a one-liter turbo or a naturally aspirated 1.2-liter unit. Inside, the Jimny will feature a hard-wearing interior with a chunky dashboard, a render of which was also leaked online a short while ago. Everything about that dash appears to be designed with functionality as the top requirement, with just a large central touchscreen serving as a reminder that we're getting closer to 2020, not 1980. The 2019 model year Jimny is expected to hit Suzuki-selling markets by late 2018. Jimny updates are few and far between, as the current generation was first introduced a solid 20 years ago. Related Video: Image Credit: Suzukinfluencer/Instagram Spy Photos Suzuki SUV suzuki jimny

Suzuki posts 46% drop in first-quarter profit on slowing India demand

TOKYO — Suzuki on Monday reported a 46.2% fall in first-quarter operating profit, hurt by lower output at home as it improves its inspection systems, and falling demand in India, its biggest market. Japan's fourth-largest automaker posted an operating profit of 62.7 billion yen (GBP487 million) for the April-June quarter, down from 116.5 billion yen a year earlier and below a mean forecast of 69.09 billion from eight analysts, according to Refinitiv. Suzuki reaffirmed its forecast for full-year operating profit to come in at 330 billion yen, up 1.7% from the year ended March 2019. Suzuki, known for its Swift and Baleno compact models, is bracing for subdued growth this year in India, where roughly one in two cars sold carries its brand. The company stuck to a forecast for vehicle sales to increase slightly on the year, but conceded that it may need to trim its forecasts in the coming months as slowing economic growth and stricter emissions standards could dent sales. Slowing profit growth could hamper its ability to invest in and develop lower-emissions vehicles and on-demand transportation services necessary to survive the technological upheaval currently underway in the global auto industry. The automaker has long acknowledged that it cannot shoulder the costs of developing electric vehicles and self-driving cars on its own, and has turned to Toyota to supply Suzuki vehicles with its gasoline hybrid systems.