At the start of the year, Suzuki unveiled a five-door Jimny which the company confirmed is coming to South Africa, but at the time, no official launch date was set in stone.
In June, the “true blue off-roader” went on sale in the Indian market, so we reached out to the local arm of Suzuki to find out if there have been any new developments in the compact 4×4’s introduction timeline for South Africa.
The company said that, for now, it can’t let out too many details on the slightly larger Jimny, and that it will start releasing more information when the launch nears.
However, it did say that we will be getting two new Suzuki models before the arrival of the highly-anticipated five-door Jimny, hinting at which new Suzukis we’re going to get next.
“While we realise the Jimny five-door is the model the entire world has been waiting for, we have two exciting models arriving on our shores before that event,” Suzuki South Africa told TopAuto
“We’re going to be keeping quiet about Jimny for now, but you’ll definitely hear from us closer to launch. Watch this space for other Suzuki models.”
Which new Suzukis could be coming next
Like with the Jimny’s launch date, Suzuki did not reveal which of its cars are on their way next nor when they will arrive, but we can take an educated guess by looking at what the company said in the past.
One of the incoming models, we suspect, is the new Fronx, a coupe-shaped crossover with the foundation of a Baleno.
The Fronx was unveiled on the same day as the bigger Jimny and the automaker did confirm that it will be heading across the pond to local roads.
Suzuki’s entry-level crossover, the Vitara Brezza, was also recently announced to be discontinued and Suzuki will eventually run out of units to sell.
In the meantime, it has given us the more luxurious Grand Vitara, but this SUV carries a R70,000 premium over the Brezza putting it out of budget for many would-be Brezza customers.
As such, the Fronx is poised to take up a position as the new entry into the brand if it manages to stay around the R300,000 price point.
No South African-specific details about the Fronx have been revealed yet, unfortunately; but it, too, hit the streets in India this year – two months before the five-door Jimny.
In this country, it’s powered by a naturally-aspirated, 1.2-litre motor with 66kW and 113Nm, or a turbocharged 1.0-litre mill generating 74kW and 148Nm.
It also offers amenities such as a 9-inch infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a multifunction steering wheel, a 360-view camera, a heads-up display, a wireless charger, rear-seat air conditioning vents, hill-hold assist, ABS with brake assist, and six airbags.
The other Suzuki confirmed to be in the pipeline is the XL6 multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), which also happened to be revealed the same day as the Jimny and Fronx.
Similarly, the XL6 has already gone on sale in India where it is offered in four configurations.
Suzuki doesn’t currently have an MPV in its South African product roster so the XL6 will be its foray into this steadily-growing segment.
In other countries, this particular model is driven by a 1.5-litre, petrol motor with “Progressive Smart Hybrid Technology” like in the new Grand Vitara, putting out 76kW and 137Nm.
It also features an SUV-inspired exterior design with 16-inch alloy wheels, and inside, it gets seven seats wrapped in leatherette, ventilated seats for the driver and front passenger, a 7-inch touchscreen, 360-view cameras, and hill-hold assist.
Suzuki Fronx
Suzuki XL6
Keyword: 2 new Suzukis to go before we get the 5-door Jimny