Suzuki Jimny five-door on wish list for Australia, as three-door sales hit new highs
Suzuki Australia says a Jimny five-door would be a hit Down Under if it were to become available – and would not dent sales of the three-door variant which continues to smash records.
The Suzuki Jimny five-door is on the wish list for Suzuki Australia. However, even though it is almost a certainty for local showrooms, it is yet to be formally confirmed.
A camouflaged prototype of the Suzuki Jimny five-door was caught on camera in Europe earlier this month, fuelling speculation the stretched version is about 18 months away from Suzuki Australia showrooms.
The test vehicle appeared to be in final production trim – and was equipped with the same dashboard as today’s three-door Suzuki Jimny – indicating it is not far away from the start of production.
It is for now unclear what engine will power the five-door Suzuki Jimny.
MORE: 2023 Suzuki Jimny five-door confirmed in new spy photos
Drive’s European spy agency said the test vehicle drove away almost silently, leading the photographer to believe it was a hybrid of some description.
There is also the possibility the Suzuki Jimny five-door could be offered with a choice of efficient petrol engines depending on the country. For more speculation on the engine options, click here.
Regardless of what is under the bonnet, the Suzuki Jimny five-door is believed to be a certainty for Australia given the runaway success of the current three-door model, which launched locally in 2018.
Demand for the Suzuki Jimny three-door in Australia has tripled over the past three years.
This year will be the fourth successive annual sales record for the Suzuki Jimny in Australia – and yet there is still a six to 12 month waiting list.
The boss of Suzuki Australia, Michael Pachota, told Drive the five-door Jimny is on the company’s wish list but it is by no means confirmed for our market.
“If a five-door Jimny was available to the Australian market, we would definitely ask Japan if we could bring it in,” said Mr Pachota.
“The three-door Jimny really resonates with Australian customers, and a five-door variant would be a great addition to the line-up if it were to come to fruition.”
The current Suzuki Jimny three-door accounts for about a quarter of Suzuki sales in Australia and demand continues to outstrip supply.
Mr Pachota said the five-door Suzuki Jimny – if it were introduced locally – would not dent sales of the three-door.
“We see them as appealing to two different groups of customers,” said Mr Pachota. “There are customers who love the compact size of the three-door Jimny because it fits in tight city streets and it’s nimble off-road.
“And there are some customers who might prefer the flexibility and extra roominess of a five-door body. We think both models would complement each other if the five-door were to become available.”
Mr Pachota said Suzuki Australia has been blown away by the sustained sales surge of the three-door Suzuki Jimny over the past three and a half years.
“We are humbled by how much passion Australians have for this car,” said Mr Pachota.
“We have also noticed a subtle buyer shift. When we launched the Jimny, sales were 50:50 between men and women. Now the skew is 60:40 in favour of women. The automatic is also now more popular than the manual transmission across male and female buyers.”
Mr Pachota said sales enquiries went through the roof last week when the company announced the option of black paintwork for the first time in this generation.
“Our online enquiries went up by 63 per cent when we announced black paint had become an option,” said Mr Pachota.
The Suzuki Australia executive said waiting times for a Suzuki Jimny three-door ranged from six to 12 months, depending on colour and transmission choice.
Meantime, there appears to be no plan to extend the Suzuki Jimny range to include a ute, even though many fans are holding out for one.
Drive’s photoshop guru Theophilus Chin created two-door and four-door utes (illustrated above) to see what a modern Suzuki Jimny pick-up might look like.
“There are no confirmed plans or development of a ute that we are aware of,” said Mr Pachota.
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