Maruti Suzuki has started exporting the locally manufactured Suzuki Jimny SUV, with the first batch of 184 units headed for Latin America. Manufactured at the company’s Gurugram facility, the units were shipped from the Mundra port. The Jimny model being exported to international markets is identical to the one made in Suzuki’s Kosai plant in Japan, both mechanically and in terms of size. The 3-door SUV is powered by a 1.5-litre petrol engine that comes with 5-speed manual and 4-speed torque convertor gearbox options. While the first batch is bound for Peru and Colombia, the made-in-India Jimny will also be exported to African markets and countries in the Middle-East.
Speaking on the occasion, Kenichi Ayukawa, managing director and CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said, “Jimny will fulfil aspirations of customers throughout the world. Jimny manufactured at Maruti Suzuki’s Gurugram plant shares the same specification as the export models produced at the Suzuki Motor Corporation’s Kosai plant in Japan. We are confident with Jimny we will be able to enhance our overall exports.”
For the domestic market, Maruti is readying a 5-door version of the Jimny which, while longer than the export model, is expected to still duck under the four-metre mark. However, as it will also be powered by the 1.5-litre petrol engine — found in a bevy of Maruti models — it will not qualify for tax sops for small cars in India.
Source : The Hindu
