The Suzuki Jimny three-door has been given a suite of safety and tech upgrades – and a price increase – in Japan, providing a potential preview of what to expect from the updated model due on sale in Australia next year.
An updated three-door Jimny is scheduled for local release in the first quarter of 2026 (January-March), with details and pricing yet to be announced.
Suzuki Australia has told CarExpert the upgrades for Japanese-market Jimny three-door vehicles will not necessarily be identical to those of the updated model coming to showrooms here.
As reported by Creative Trend, the changes in Japan include a digital speedometer – currently not offered on the three- or five-door Jimny – in a new 4.2-inch centre display between the analogue dials.
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The cabin also gains a 9.0-inch infotainment touchscreen running revised software, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone compatibility, as well as connectivity to the Suzuki Connected phone app.
A previous report from Creative Trend also confirmed Japan’s updated three-door Jimny now has a dual-camera system for its autonomous emergency braking system, offering adaptive cruise control, reverse brake support, and a false-start reverse prevention function.
The update is accompanied by price rises of between eight and 16 per cent in Japan. The three-door Jimny Lite is currently priced from $34,990 before on-road costs in Australia – and an eight per cent increase would add an extra $2800 to that price.
Pricing may also be impacted by the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) introduced in Australia this year, which lowers the legal limit of CO2 emissions permitted for each auto brand every year between 2025 and 2029.
Brands which breach those limits face financial penalties, which some automakers – such as Ford – have blamed on price increases for some models, including the Mustang, Ranger and Everest.
At 146g/km of CO2, Jimny Lite already exceeds its mandated 141g/km limit, which lowers to 117g/km in 2026.
The larger five-door Jimny XL emits up to 161g/km of CO2, meaning it will be subject to potential penalties, too.
The Jimny is Suzuki Australia’s best-selling model, but the company stopped importing the Japanese-made three-door model after it failed to meet updated local safety regulations, so it currently offers only the Indian-made five-door.
Australian Design Rule 98/00, which came into effect on March 1, 2025, mandated specific performance requirements for autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems.
The Jimny five-door comes with an AEB system that complies with the latest regulations, but the Japanese-built Jimny three-door currently does not.
That resulted in Suzuki Australia stopping new shipments of three-door Jimnys earlier this year, while the new AEB regulation also saw the S-Cross, Vitara and Swift Sport dropped from local showrooms.
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