The pint-sizeJimny is Suzuki Australia’s best-selling model, and the Japanese brand’s local boss says he wants to expand the boxy little off-road SUV’s range to include commercial vehicles like utes, panel vans, and even small trucks.
“A Jimny ute would be awesome in Australia. A Jimmy anything is awesome in Australia,” Suzuki Australia general manager Michael Pachota told CarExpert at the national launch of the new Fronx Hybrid light SUV.
“As I’ve mentioned, Jimmy three-door and Jimny XL sales are consistently growing and, with that said, if I just added to that product lineup, whether it be a utility, or a panel van, or whatever it may be, I’ll take it.”
As it stands, the Jimny range comprises only a small wagon available in either three-door or five-door XL body styles. No commercial versions of the current fourth-generation Jimny are in production, though Suzuki New Zealand has offered an aftermarket ute conversion since 2020.
Suzuki also has a long history of compact utes, including the 1990s Caribian Sporty from Thailand and the Mighty Boy sold in Japan and Australia in the 1980s, and prospective buyers have been kept interested by concepts like the Jimny Sierra Pick Up Style of 2019 (pictured above).
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ABOVE: Second-generation 1981 Suzuki Jimny 1000 cab-chassis
This is a far cry from the three preceding Jimny generations, which were populated by several different body styles, including the third-generation Canvas Top in Europe and the second-generation SJ40 pickup, which was also sold as the cab-chassis Holden Drover.
Suzuki’s tiny first-generation Jimny Soft Top, which resembled the utilitarian Willys Jeep, was also sold in Australia as the Suzuki Stockman.
Many of these models were built to Japan’s diminutive kei car engine and size specifications, much like the current Japanese-market three-door Jimny – different bumpers and wider fender flares are added for export markets.
As a result, Australian-market three-door Jimnys measure 3480mm in length, 1645mm in width, and 1720mm in height. The five-door Jimny XL adds 340mm in length, which is still nearly 2m shorter than a Ford Ranger, while being roughly 250mm narrower.
Of course, Australia’s love for utes is dominated by larger vehicles like the Ranger and Toyota HiLux, but that hasn’t stopped Mr Pachota from predicting a strong following for a Jimny ute, echoing the SUV’s passionate fanbase.
ABOVE: First-generation 1972 Suzuki Jimny Soft Top
“I have my fingers crossed and hope and pray that Suzuki Motor Corporation looks down that path, because there’s a huge market here for Australia,” he told CarExpert.
Mr Pachota also suggested the small dimensions of a potential Jimny ute would suit many applications where more traditional pickups are too large, drawing inspiration from Victoria’s Goulburn Valley wine region, where Suzuki hosted the aforementioned Fronx launch.
“We’re sitting in a winery right now, and you can just see the width of those vineyard lines. A Jimmy ute would fit down that line perfectly,” he added.
“So the agricultural need in Australia… I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s one on the property based on the old Jimny Stockman, because there used to be a utility.
“So with that said, if there used to be something, maybe there will be something again in the future. We haven’t been told. Suzuki keeps their product development fairly close to their chest… but I would definitely welcome one.”
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