An updated Suzuki Jimny is on the way, and leaked pricing out of Japan suggests local RRPs may be headed for an increase.
Pricing for the updated Suzuki Jimny Sierra has been leaked in Japan, pointing to a potential change in the compact 4x4’s positioning in Australia.
As part of a running change to the Jimny in Japan, an updated safety system with improved autonomous emergency braking (AEB) detection technology is about to go on sale.
A pricing bulletin uncovered by Japanese site Creative311 suggests that the new tech will arrive with a higher price tag.
Suzuki Japan has also taken the slightly unusual move of pricing manual and automatic variants at the same level, making the previous cost option for an automatic a no-cost option, according to the pricing leak.
Pricing in Japan climbs by as much as 13 per cent for the Jimny Sierra, the model equivalent to Australia’s 1.5-litre Jimny three-door.
In Japan, pricing for the entry-level Jimny Sierra now starts from ¥JP2,220,000 ($AU23,190) for either the Jimny Sierra JL five-speed manual or four-speed automatic.
The cheapest Jimny in Australia, the manual-only Jimny Lite, starts from $30,490 plus on-road costs in Australia.
With a similar price increase, the revised model could move up to a starting price of around $34,450 before on-road costs.
The smallest increase on Japanese models is applied to the entry-level automatic, for which Suzuki Australia doesn’t have an equivalent.
Pricing for the Jimny Sierra JL rises by ¥JP138,600 (around $AU1450) or 6.6 per cent.
A similar increase in Australia would see the three-door Jimny GLX automatic move from $34,490 before on-road costs currently to just over $36,760, making it almost as expensive as the equivalent five-door Jimny XL, priced from $37,490 plus on-road costs.
It remains to be seen if Suzuki Australia will introduce similar parity pricing between manual and automatic variants as it has in Japan.
Current stock of the Jimny could run out before the updated version arrives, with Suzuki Australia having stockpiled three-door Jimnys ahead of a compliance change that meant new stock could not be imported without changes to the AEB system.
The upgraded Japanese-built three-door Jimny is expected to adopt a version of the AEB fitted to the Indian-built five-door Jimny XL, which comes with more advanced crash-avoidance sensors that are compliant with current Australian regulations.
Kez Casey migrated from behind spare parts counters to writing about cars over ten years ago. Raised by a family of automotive workers, Kez grew up in workshops and panel shops before making the switch to reviews and road tests for The Motor Report, Drive and CarAdvice.
