-Expected to launch in India by next year.

-It will be powered by Maruti’s 1.5-litre K15B petrol motor.

The Maruti Suzuki Jimny was first showcased at the Auto Expo in February this year. Now, the Jimny ‘Sierra’ is spotted testing on the Indian roads undisguised in its three-door avatar. Maruti Suzuki’s intent of exhibiting the compact off-roader at the expo was to gauge interest among the general public, and it sure seems to have been successful.

The spy shots reveal the exterior, which retains resemblance to the one seen at the expo. Upfrontcentre-placed, it sports a rectangular four-slat vertical grille with integrated round headlamps, and turn indicators. The lower section gets a rugged plastic bumper with a center-placed, mesh-type air vent with circular fog lamps. On the side, the Jimny has pronounced wheel arches with plastic cladding, chunky black OVRMs, and 15-inch five-spoke V-shaped alloys. The rear of the Jimny gets a tailgate-mounted full-size spare wheel with rectangular taillights at the bottom.

There are no details available with regards to its interiors. But we expect it to come with a touchscreen infotainment system, steering mounted controls, 50:50 rear foldable seats, and a four-wheel-drive system. Until now, the Suzuki Jimny was only manufactured at the Kosoi plant in Japan and exported worldwide. To fulfill the increasing global demand, Suzuki plans to shift a part of its production to the Gujarat plant. Since the Jimny will now be manufactured locally; we expect it to be launched for the Indian market as well. Will it be a three-door or five-door body type? Well, that still remains a mystery and will only be known when it’s introduced next year. Until then, the 2020 Mahindra Thar triumphs!

Owing to the petrol-only resolution by Maruti, the Jimny could be powered by the 1.5-litre K15B petrol engine making 100bhp and 130Nm of torque which is shared by the family members including the Ciaz, Vitara Brezza, Ertiga, and the XL6. It could be paired to a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission.

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