Suzuki Halts Made-in-India Jimny Bookings in Japan After Record Orders

Suzuki Motor Corp has suspended the bookings for its newly introduced 5-door variant of Jimny in Japan due to unexpectedly high demand. The ‘made-in-India’ Jimny five-door SUV, which was unveiled in Japan on January 30 under the Jimny Nomade label and is expected to see deliveries from April 3, has received 50,000 orders in just four days.

Suzuki said such a large number of orders “far exceeds” its sales plans. “In light of this situation, we will temperory suspend the acceptance of orders,” said the company on Monday.

The five-door variant of Jimny is being manufactured at Maruti Suzuki’s plant in Haryana. The model has a strong legacy as a global off-roader and is exported to almost 100 countries. The launch of the 5-door Jimny in Japan is a significant step in Maruti Suzuki's export strategy, making it the second India-made SUV, after the Fronx, to be shipped there.

“After its (Jimny’s) resounding success in markets like Mexico, Australia, and South Africa, we are confident that it will delight customers in Japan. The export of Jimny reaffirms our commitment towards ‘Make-in-India for the world,” Maruti Suzuki MD and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi recently said.

Suzuki noted that they are making company-wide efforts to reopen order books as quickly as possible.

The Jimny has seen relatively modest sales in the Indian market and has come with big discounts. However, company officials said Jimny is not a mass market product, and its volumes cannot be compared with that of other mass market SUVs.

Now, the model is garnering strong export volume for Maruti Suzuki. Jimny is the second most exported model for Maruti Suzuki.