The Suzuki Jimny may get a literal power boost as a fully-electric model by 2030 now that Suzuki is investing billions into electrification. After a relatively long period of uncertainty regarding its stance on EVs, Suzuki is earmarking nearly $US35 ($49) billion to produce a lineup of five EV models that will go on sale in Europe by the end of the decade, and one of them could be a Jimny EV.
Suzuki’s multi-billion jump into EVs will expand across markets in Japan, Europe and India, according to Reuters, but its debut fully-electric models will first be introduced in its home country of Japan in 2023. Europe and India are set to follow in 2024, and within the following six years, Suzuki expects to have between five to six EV models available in these markets.
The news comes not long after the debut of Suzuki’s EV concept SUV, called the eVX, which was unveiled in India at the Auto Expo 2023. The eVX builds off an actual production model that Suzuki says will be introduced in 2025, although it’s unclear where it’ll be sold.
The company is now following up the debut of the eVX concept with plans to make a new batch of EVs. One of these looks a lot like a Jimny, which tracks given the Jimny’s popularity around the world. It’s also a good idea for Suzuki to make a Jimny EV sooner rather than later, because a Chinese Jimny EV from SAIC-GM-Wuling looms on the horizon. It’s hard to tell right now whether the Jimny EV that Suzuki teased is a five- or three-door model, though the addition of a battery could require the extra space of the bigger Jimny 5-Door.
Then again, the Japanese carmaker’s plan is apparently all about going small and light, so it’s possible that Suzuki will find a way to stuff the battery into the ladder frame of the smaller combustion-powered Jimny. The three-door, that is — or two-door as most of us in the U.S. would refer to it.
And just like every other Jimny model we’ve lusted after since the return of the little off-roader, the U.S. is not likely to get the Jimny EV. I suppose it’s for the best, because, really, who wants a capable-yet-adorable fully-electric SUV from Suzuki when we’ve got all these Hummer EVs to go around?
