While Maruti Suzuki has not made any official statement yet, the Jimny project has got a green light for the Indian market. Yes, this would be a fitting replacement to the Maruti Suzuki Gypsy, but rumours now suggest that there might not be a 4WD variant coming to our market which beats the purpose of having the Jimny in the first place. The new Jimny could also be rebadged as the Gypsy in India, and might be sold at the Nexa showrooms.
This is the 4th generation of the Jimny when it comes to India might share the same platform and engine options; but might be a little larger in size as the Indian market won’t really accept the super compact dimensions. It will have enough features to differentiate from the current sub-4 metre SUV from Maruti Suzuki, the Vitara Brezza. The rebranding from Jimny to Gypsy will be done just to encash on the high brand recall the Gypsy SUV has in India.
Maruti Suzuki will be looking at high level of localisation when introducing the Jimny in India. Most definitely, it will share components with other cars and will probably run with the new 1.5L K15B petrol engine. The AllGrip Pro system which gives it a part time 4WD function with a low range gear will not come to India. But may be, the brand might consider testing water with a few units capable of off-roading to understand the demand. Diesel engine might not be on offer at all.
After the discontinuation of the Gypsy, the Mahindra Thar is enjoying the cult status by still being on sale, and the next-gen model already ready for roll out. India will be offered with a long wheelbase version of the Jimny Sierra which measures 3,645mm in length. Expect it to be a sub-4 metre for sure, but more bigger dimensions to offer better cabin comfort.