Suzuki is still open to turning the Jimny into a tiny pickup
Suzuki previewed what a pickup variant of the current-generation Jimny could look like with a close-to-production concept unveiled in 2019. The range has grown since, there’s a four-door Jimny available, but we haven’t seen a truck yet. That could change, according to the brand.
“Anything that starts with Jimny ends in sales,” said Michael Pachota, the general manager of Suzuki’s Australian division, in an interview with Australian website CarSales. “The [pickup] project, I would say, is not dead.” He described it as “a Jimny with two seats and nothing at the back.” The idea of turning this seriously capable pocket-sized SUV into a truck isn’t unprecedented: New Zealand-based Suzuki dealer Brendan Foot sells a built-to-order Jimny pickup called Ute — the local term for “pickup” — that features a flatbed with folding sides.
It’s too early to tell whether the Jimny trucklet would look like the concept unveiled in 2019 or like Brendan Foot’s truck (shown above). The main difference between the two is the cab: The concept features a slightly longer cab than the production Ute built by the dealership. Pachota’s comments suggest the model will feature two doors, it doesn’t sound like a crew-cab version is in the pipeline, and CarSales speculates it could revive the Mighty Boy name last used on a tiny, hatchback-based three-cylinder pickup built from 1983 to 1988.
Strong demand is convincing executives to pour money into the Jimny. Australian sales have increased by over 50% in 2024, and motorists who buy one are put on a months-long waiting list. If you buy an automatic two-door today, you might end up waiting eight months for it.
Looking ahead, Suzuki is also planning to release hybrid and electric variants of the Jimny to comply with emissions regulations in key markets around the globe. The former should arrive before the latter. The aftermarket isn’t out of ideas, either. In the past few years, we’ve seen the Jimny turned into a Mercedes-Benz G-Class replica, a Ford Bronco look-alike, and a clone of the 1980s Lancia Delta rally car.
