The Maruti Suzuki Jimny has officially joined the Kerala police fleet, with the department adding the fully-loaded Alpha variant to its ranks. The Jimny, finished in Granite Grey, stands out as a modern successor to the Maruti Suzuki Gypsy, which was previously used by police and armed forces in its base form across several states.

Launched in June 2023, the five-door Jimny is currently priced between rs 12.74 lakh and ₹14.95 lakh. It boasts a ladder-frame chassis and is among the lightest in its class, weighing approximately 1,200 kg. Under the hood, it features a 1.5-litre engine producing 102 bhp and 136 Nm of torque, paired with either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission.

Maruti Suzuki Jimny: Tough time on Indian soil

The fourth generation Suzuki Jimny, when launched internationally, garnered a lot of attention from the Indian audience. However, keeping in mind the Indian condition, Maruti Suzuki decided to bring the five door version of the off-roader rather than the three door which was available globally.

When launched in June 2023, the Maruti Suzuki Jimny garnered over 35,000 bookings as the company claimed. However, soon the interest for Jimny started to fade away with sales depleting with each passing month.

To tackle this, the company announced several offers and discounts, with the recent one being the ₹3.3 lakh off from the compact SUV’s base level ex-showroom price. This brought the starting price of the Jimny from ₹12.74 lakh to ₹9.99 lakh. However the prices have gone up since then.

Also watch: Maruti Suzuki Jimny SUV: First Drive Review

The first nail in the Jimny’s coffin wasn’t just its high price. It was the price-to-performance ratio. Equipped with a meagre 1.5-litre naturally aspirated unit, the Jimny was instantly outgunned by its arch-rival, the Mahindra Thar, which featured a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol unit along with a diesel option producing 150.19 bhp as opposed to the 103.9 bhp made by the Jimny's petrol engine. The Maruti Suzuki off roader does not get a diesel engine.

Additionally, the positioning of the product was also wrong. Experts suggest that the Jimny should have been positioned as a family SUV rather than a lifestyle vehicle. 

Read Also: Remember Hot Wheels? Fan of F1? Then this is the best news you've heard today

HOW DID YOU LIKE THIS ARTICLE? CHOOSE YOUR EMOTICON !