Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL), that had supplied its iconic Gypsy to Defence and Paramilitary forces from mid-1980s till 2019, may attract the sectors’ attention for its upcoming all-wheel-drive (AWD) Jimny, getting launched on June 7.

According to the company, it is getting a lot of enquiries already from the armed forces for the Jimny. Unlike the Gypsy, the Jimny doesn’t have a soft-top option, which could have been used for mounting guns/ armouries on the rooftop of the vehicle, but the company is confident of handling emerging requirements.

Shashank Srivastava, Senior Executive Officer, MSIL, told businessline, “We will of course continuously monitor the requirements as we always do for all our products, and see if any change is required...we are in touch with some of the Defence people. There are enquiries on the vehicle, and the company will think of meeting all requirements.”

MSIL used to supply 6,000 to 10,000 of the Gypsy to the armed forces every year before it was discontinued because of the new emission norms kicking in (BS6). Launched first in 1985, MSIL sold over 1.7 lakh units of the Gypsy in India, till it was phased out.

According to the company, the Gypsy was an iconic brand no doubt, but the Jimny could be a good replacement. The Jimny, rolled out first in 1970, is available in 199 countries and Suzuki has sold around 30,000 units of the SUV.

The Jimny sold so far was a three-door version, which has been made to a five-door variant to fit markets like India. India will do the global launch of this All Wheel Drive (AWD) and will also be exported to some countries in West Asia and Latin America. Srivastava said the five-door Jimny version of ‘Made in India’ will be an addition to the three-door Jimny, which MSIL is already exporting since 2021.

Also read: Maruti Suzuki will be No.1 SUV maker in 2023-24: MD

Srivastava noted that the Jimny was not only attracting off-roading SUV lovers, but general customers too who wanted to own a different body style vehicle with still having a good fuel efficiency.

“The body/ design (of the Jimny) is of a pure SUV, but consumers are also conscious of the running cost. So, it is not purely for off-roading. They are buying it for normal commuting also because of the mileage that Jimny can offer (15-16kmpl),” he added.

According to analysts, Jimny is set to create a new segment in the industry and can be a game changer too for Maruti Suzuki India, in terms of changing the brand perception.

“Jimny and Gypsy are two different products targeting different segments with different needs and different mindset...It’s definitely a bold move from Maruti Suzuki, for bold, brave and daring customers,” Puneet Gupta, Director at SP Global Mobility said.

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