Suzuki Jimny wait times hit one year in Japan, Australia up to seven months
Waiting in a long queue for a new Suzuki Jimny in Australia? You’re not alone – buyers in Japan are waiting up to a year for delivery, according to a new overseas report.
Australia isn’t the only country obsessed with the Suzuki Jimny off-roader, as wait times overseas stretch up to a year – beyond the six to seven-month wait suggested Down Under.
According to reputable Japanese magazine Best Car, if you place an order today on a new Jimny ‘Sierra’ in Japan you will be waiting up to 11 months for delivery.
Drive understands the average wait time for a Suzuki Jimny in Australia is six to seven months, though some buyers have waited up to 12 months, depending on colour and variant.
It’s also understood new Jimny orders are being taken at a rate of up to 200 a week. VFACTS industry sales figures for 2021 show Suzuki is delivering new Jimny vehicles at a rate of approximately 64 cars per week (for a total of 3350 cars reported as sold last year).
The 11-month Japanese wait time applies to the Jimny Sierra model, with the black wheel-arch flares and 1.5-litre engine fitted to all models in Australia.
Opt for the ‘standard’ Jimny in Japan (pictured below) – which features a smaller 660cc engine and no arch flares, allowing it to fall into Japan’s ‘kei’ city car class, with reduced taxes – and delivery times hit the 12-month mark, according to Best Car.
In Australia, the latest-generation Suzuki Jimny has been a runaway success, with demand still outstripping supply three years into the current model’s life cycle.
VFACTS industry sales data reports 3350 examples as sold locally in 2021, an increase over the 2368 sold in 2020, and the 1391 sold in 2019. Prior to the current model’s arrival at the start of 2019, annual Jimny sales regularly hovered between 500 and 900, rarely passing the 1000 mark.
Wait times have soared as high as 12 months in recent years – but increased supply obtained during 2021 has seen that figure drop to between six and seven months at the start of 2022, Drive understands, with orders now conducted through a simplified ‘first come first served’ system.
The overwhelming demand comes despite significant price rises over the last three years, with the fully-specified Jimny manual variant now priced from $28,490 before on-road costs – a $4500 jump over the $23,990 price marketed at launch in 2019.
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