Maruti Suzuki Jimny 5-door under consideration by Indian Armed Forces
The upcoming Maruti Suzuki Jimny is being considered by the Indian armed forces, a top company official told HT Auto recently. The Jimny is set for its official launch for private buyers in June and could receive some modifications if and when dispatched to the defence forces of the country.
Shashank Srivastava, Senior Executive Director - Marketing and Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, confirmed that the Indian armed forces have expressed interest and the company could take this up once the Jimny is officially launched in the car market. The official launch is set for June 7. Interestingly, Maruti Suzuki Gypsy has been a tireless workhorse in the armed forces for decades.
All eyes now though are on the Jimny with India being the first market to get its five-door version. “They (Indian Armed Forces) have shown interest in this product (Jimny). Their requirements in terms of specs, we are still studying. We haven’t started the sale yet but once that happens, it is on the horizon," Srivastava said.
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You can watch the complete interview below:
The Jimny 5-door has been specifically designed for the Indian market, as against the Jimny 3-door that is sold the world over. Much like its predecessor, the new Jimny 5-door emulates similar qualities as the Gypsy with its light construction, peppy petrol engine, and impressive off-road capability. The new Jimny is more fuel efficient too.
The Maruti Gypsy was immensely popular with the Indian Armed Forces due to all of these reasons. Its light nature, short wheelbase and peppy petrol engine meant the off-roader could tackle some of the harshest terrains in remote regions with ease. The off-roader was also easy to maintain and extremely customisable, depending on the varied applications that the armed forces used it for.
Despite Maruti pulling the plug on the Gypsy for commercial sales in 2019 after 33 years in India, the model was specially built for the armed forces considering no other model could replicate the same qualities as the Gypsy. That said, the more recent years saw the army opt for bigger SUVs like the Tata Safari (old-gen) to meet its requirements.
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Nevertheless, the Jimny 5-door could just be the replacement that the Indian army was looking for. Let's not forget that the Gypsy's induction into the army only added to the aspiration of owning one and the cult that formed around it. A similar induction will only help the new Jimny find more buyers.
The Maruti Suzuki Jimny 5-door is easily one of the most anticipated launches of the year and the off-roader will finally hit the showroom floors in the first week of June. Sales will begin immediately after prices have been announced. We’ve driven the Maruti Jimny 5-door and will bring our review on May 26, 2023. So make sure to keep watching this space for all the action.
