[PrideRed]

Jimny is overpriced but the declining sales is due lack of powerful engines, small form factor or size to price ratio. I also believe the design is love it or hate it unlike the Thar which has zero haters for the design.

[omar]

I get the point many are trying to make on it being an inexpensive 4x4 with 5 doors and is also priced the same as the 3 door is, internationally.

But this is not an international market. We do have a large variety of alternate options available, which are cheaper or more value for money. Legacy simply does not matter in India if it means paying for something which is not VFM. It is this reason which has resulted in the generic buyer to consider Tata Products, even after their first generation cars were not the greatest. The consumers would still be buying Honda’s if the Legacy mattered.

There are two types of non enthusiast buyers:

- Buys from a practical point of view: The Jimny is not in consideration for such a buyer. They can get bigger, cheaper cars as an alternative.

- Buys from a size/ looks point of view: Again not in consideration for such a buyer. M&M and even Suzuki have bigger cars in a similar price range.

If Suzuki want to sell more, they simply need to be honest about their pricing. Not many are going to spend 16-17 lakhs for a 4 seater car, when better/ more practical alternatives are available.

[gsferrari]

Originally Posted by omar

I get the point many are trying to make on it being an inexpensive 4x4 with 5 doors and is also priced the same as the 3 door is, internationally.

But this is not an international market. We do have a large variety of alternate options available, which are cheaper or more value for money.

Please share the list of options available which are cheaper (fairly objective parameter) and/or more value for money (extremely subjective).

Your alternative must be a ladder chassis 4x4 with low ratio transfer case and solid rear axle. I will give you the benefit of having the option of IFS front axle although it is clearly inferior to a solid axle in off-road conditions, something the Jimny is designed for.

[VinsWagen]

Jimny is a bad-looking car to me. In the pics, it looked okay but in reality, it wasn't pleasant. I know some of us do find it good-looking but I really have doubts if the majority of the general public thinks so. It's like an S-presso on the bricks. On the contrary, Thar is just Majestic, Butch, and Royal. One of the best-looking cars below 50 Lakhs. Period. Hence the aspirational value is much more for a Thar. 4WDs need aspirational value in the looks and presence for the customers to be a mass-market hit. Maruti missed it big time. A much more comfortable and feature-rich Jimny would do as badly as now against a Thar even if it lacked more comfort and convenience features.

[omar]

Originally Posted by gsferrari

Please share the list of options available which are cheaper (fairly objective parameter) and/or more value for money (extremely subjective).

Your alternative must be a ladder chassis 4x4 with low ratio transfer case and solid rear axle. I will give you the benefit of having the option of IFS front axle although it is clearly inferior to a solid axle in off-road conditions, something the Jimny is designed for.

That’s the reason I stressed on the Generic buyer. It is the cheapest proper 4x4. That may be a deciding factor for an off road enthusiast. Is it the cheapest 4 seater or is it the cheapest SUV, or the biggest or most powerful? No.

A generic buyer will not have the 4x4 capability as the only deciding point. The whole package matters. This is pretty evident from the sales numbers.

Suzuki simply cannot sustain selling the car at the current price range. The only current buyers are enthusiasts, who would have already bought the car, or anyone who would have a multi car garage, and want to try something new (again a niche). It simply does not have the pricing or size to attract a generic buyer, like the Thar did.

Tomorrow if Suzuki introduce a 2 Wd variant and slash price by 3-4 lakhs. I am sure it will sell more than it is now.

[thebonedoc]

Without any offense to its admirers, I would like to say, Jimny looks like a toy car on the streets.
At least I would not spend 15/16 lacs on a toyish-looking car with 100ish HP, only for its offroading capacity. And I can predict it would go the path of A-star.

[CArspeed]

Voted No.
It’s not the optimistic or premium pricing, as there are several SUV’s (some pseudo SUV’s) that are priced optimistically (much more than the sedan counterparts) and selling like hot cakes.
The reason for this car not selling is on account of
1. poor features list,
2. absence of 2WD option and
3. a not so practical interiors
4. dated engine and transmission

I was looking at a City car with narrow width which Jimny is but for the above reasons (first three only), I did not buy this car.

If they had provided a city friendly features like 2WD, auto hold brakes, auto dimming IRVM’s etc, it would have been in my garage. Pricing is not my deterrent as I loved the exclusivity the design has got, the feature list is a deal breaker for me.

[blackwasp]

I voted yes, but that is not the sole reason that Jimny sales are lower than Maruti's expectation. As discussed before, for a car (4x4 at that too!) to become a sales success, there are multiple reasons.

The Jimny ticks all the right boxes for a niche set of owners - however, they are very small in number and and most of them have already purchased the Jimny.

As a convertible Thar owner, yes, the car is slightly impractical to live with on a day to day basis, but practicality is the last thing on your mind when purchasing a Thar.

Similarly, look at Royal Enfield, there are many alternative motorcycles, yet RE is what the heart wants. Unfortunately for the Jimny, the number of hearts wanting the car are quite less.

Maruti has a unique problem at their hands. While the Jimny is a brilliant vehicle, getting people to buy one is going to be a challenge. People will only buy the car if they are showcased the Jimny's abilities. In contrast, a typical Maruti customer will walk into the showroom, check out the display units, and finalize based on the price list. This won't work with the Jimny.

[solamarpreet]

Drawing comparisons between the current costs of the Thar and Jimny is not productive and sensible. The market has already set the Thar's price, reflecting its significant rise from its launch price of 9.8L ex-showroom just three years ago, spurred by high demand. People who say that Thar is not the cheapest 4x4 miss the point. Thar 2 years ago was cheaper than Jimny. But it is the law of demand and supply that raised the price of Thar astronomically. Mahindra has intelligently tapped into this demand, gradually raising the price to discover the maximum that consumers are willing to pay, demonstrating a shrewd application and understanding of market dynamics.

Conversely, Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) entered the market somewhat unprepared and with unrealistic expectations. Nonetheless, it is the market that will ultimately decide the fair value of their vehicle. Sales will escalate only if the market deems the product worthy of investment, irrespective of how much enthusiasts tout the Jimny's 4x4 capabilities. Ultimately, despite its impracticality, the Thar is perceived by the market as the better package and the more appealing option. The large order book of Thar accurately represents that there is a significantly large market for an offroad oriented ladder frame vehicle. Its just that Mahindra has a much better grasp on the pulse of the market than Maruti.

[gsferrari]

Originally Posted by omar

That’s the reason I stressed on the Generic buyer....

A generic buyer will not have the 4x4 capability as the only deciding point....

Maruti were very clear they are not targeting the generic buyers. The Jimny brand cannot be diluted.

How is this for an idea: Sales numbers would have been much higher had Maruti named it the Gypsy instead of the Jimny.

Do you think this would have mattered? I think it would have had a deeper emotional connect with the people of this country for whom the Gypsy is a legendary vehicle.

Then again Maruti is the same company that created the wonderful "Zen" brand and then decimated it on that abomination that launched in 2009 called the Zen Estilo. Way to go Maruti!

[pepega]

Voted NO.

Jimny doesn't sell well because most people who see my car have no idea what it is, which company sells it, and for what price. In contrast, Thar has been a household name in India for many years, featured in movies ad infinitum, and has a certain reputation.

If Jimny sells as many as 50% units of Thar in a good month, and 33% as much on a bad month, I'd be very concerned for the Thar. We can see that Mahindra is ramping up their 5 door Thar testing because they feel pressure.

Regarding the sales for October being low, I am guessing that most people who book with discounts will have done it closer to the end of the month, and those deliveries will only start to show in statistics from November onwards.

I, for one, am happy to be a part of the 1851 other people who received their Jimny last month. Congratulations to all of us for going against our pragmatic and wise-decision making brains.

Regards,
pepega

[omar]

Originally Posted by gsferrari

Maruti were very clear they are not targeting the generic buyers. The Jimny brand cannot be diluted.

How is this for an idea: Sales numbers would have been much higher had Maruti named it the Gypsy instead of the Jimny.

The name would have definitely helped, but not substantially .

That's the thing, the Jimny is a global brand name. But it does not have any brand value to dilute in India amongst the usual buyer. We have had the likes of the GTI and VRS launched in India. All had immense brand value abroad. But did not succeed (initially) since only a set number of people were ready to buy at the launch price point.

Branding/ promotion is what got Suzuki to the 30k bookings. The price/ product mix got to them to the latest sales numbers.

[motorworks]

My view on this discussion—People who have strong use cases for such a vehicle will love the Jimny. It’s built for a specific purpose. Its always been the modern replacement for the Gypsy and if we all recollect, the Gypsy was a “cool” vehicle, but it attracted only certain segments of customers. The Jimny too is “cool”, but in 2023 the Indian customers have far more options than what folks had when the Gypsy was around.

So the Jimny is the best car for some one who values its utility, not for folks who look at it for its novelty ( rhyming unintended )

Has it been priced on the higher side? Yes, very much so! Although its got 6 airbags as standard, other features are lacking for a 16-19 lakh car. I mean, the base AT costs something like 18 lakhs on road in Bangalore!

People may say, the Thar is the same as well, its not practical, it is more expensive, and its not an all-rounder either. The Thar in spite of all this and just 3 doors, is having a much better run. So hows that possible? The Thar, you see has played perfectly in to a lifestyle vehicle segment, and its got size and presence on its side ( which hold value here in India), so in spite of the Thar being worse than the Jimny on most practical use case scenarios, it does better!

I liked the Jimny as well, was sort of dreaming about convincing my wifey to buy this. Just for the novelty. My wife would have none of it. We just bought a Jeep Compass 4x4 and it didnt make sense. I still tried to push the Jimny, even got the family to do a test drive, but after the drive, I understood that the Jimny is meant for a specific use case. Its not about the novelty. If you buy it for anything else other than its utility, you will not be able to make peace with it.

[silverado]

Jimny was best sold as a 2 door car even in India, there was no need to stretch it and give it 4 doors.

2 door jimny would have costed lesser, carried lesser weight, would have been more fuel efficient.
Remember THAR is being sold as a 2 door and its doing really well, JIMNY tried to do it all and it was not needed.

[AMG Power]

Maruti is listening and offering a discount of 1 lakh with an additional 20k worth of accessories on the Jimny. That is set to increase as days go by.