[Emvi]

While the Jimny's pricing is the focal point of the thread, I sense that discussion has deviated a bit, if not gone haywire on occasions.

The Jimny, no doubt is a great product, and I'm pretty sure not many would disagree on this. However, when the manufacturer itself is offering big discount on a newly launched vehicle, it doesn't need too much dissection to understand that the sales figures are not as per company's expectation to say the least.

Those who have bought it have their own reasons and use cases. There's nothing wrong when they claim to see value in it. However, it is quite intriguing to see people getting riled up when others don't see the value in it. It is not the case of sour grapes or question of affordability. Isn't that natural and like we always keep repeating on the forum - to each his own! While it is good to appreciate a vehicle that you own, it is also good to acknowledge the facts about your vehicle and respect others' genuine assessment, no matter if you like it or not.

Also, we keep harping on the term "enthusiasts" endlessly. And from when did it become mandatory for a person to own something he/she is enthusiastic about. I find this analogy quite amusing to be honest. I wouldn't be too surprised if a few auto buffs out there either don't own a car or own an economical mass-market car, I personally know at least a couple of them. I don't see a reason as to why an enthusiast need not be price sensitive at all! Furthermore, terming each and every Gypsy, Jimny or a Thar owner/user an enthusiast is a bit of a misnomer.

[airguitar]

With due respect, I highly doubt those that are saying 'if Jimny was priced 2-3 lakhs lesser, I would have bought it' are not being honest to themselves. Most people buying the Jimny or the Thar are buying a toy for themselves - most of them have another car that serves their primary purpose. So someone willing to spend 15.5L for a toy will not be worried too much about the extra 2-2.5L as anyway the haven't cared for that 15.5L either.

It's different from someone that actually needs such a vehicle : narrow roads of the hills, daily runs into their farms or other "real" needs for such a vehicle. Such people will buy it for a proper usecase and therefore 15.5L vs 19L will be a huge consideration as they are neither wasting the 15.5L nor the extra 3L. But clearly, they are very small in number to affect the sales. Most people criticizing Jimny may not end up buying Jimny if it's price is reduced. I say most, and not 'all'.

Here's why for Jimny's less-than-good sales:

There was already a benchmark for a 4x4 that doubles up as a utility/lifestyle vehicle: The Thar. It's highway performance/power and bigger size ( the famed 'road presence' ) makes it more adequate than the Jimny in the highways and urban center( which by the way is where the 'dispensible' income for buying such toys is and most sales for Thar and Jimny expected to come/come for monied locations ). The dimunitive size and the sedate performance of the Jimny felt sub-par to many vis-a-vis the Thar and that's about it.

This is not to compare the Thar and the Jimny as many people have clearly highlighted the key usecases for each in multiple posts, e.g, Shankar Balan et al. But still, for a prospective Jimny buyer, the benchmark in India will continue to be the Thar's capabilities, not the Jimny's pricing.

Over the next many months, there will be increasing discounts on the Jimny, yet we will see that it's sales will continue to drop.

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by Bhodrolok

What is "Street cred"? I think what you have written seems more like ability to bully other vehicles to give way. I am glad its not another hooligan vehicle like the Thar or Fortuner.

As someone who's not directly invested in this since SUVs are not really my cup of tea, Jimny is the only Suzuki I would think of buying but as a second car; and this is true for a large portion of buyers hence the limited numbers.

Originally Posted by pheru8b

Sounds more like bullying to me than street cred!

The Jimny has its own street cred (of being a capable off reader, as well as a compact city suv) while the Thar has its own cred of good looks and a high adrenaline rush. Both have their own takers, however, who will appreciate the street creds their own way! Who are we to judge? To each their own!

Street Cred refers to road presence. An invaluable attribute that keeps pesky intruders from cutting in from the wrong lane, without YOUR doing anything about intimidating the offensive actor.

If you havent driven a large vehicle (in India) you'll probably never know.

So much for hoity toity sensibilities.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

d) Big Zero in terms of Street Cred - when it comes to commanding respect on the road. This by the way is the number 1 factor 2WD fortuners and classic scorpios get sold - the owners just love the ability of the cars to make their own space on congested streets of urban India.

Ask any ‘family person’ and he or she will extoll the virtues of SUV’s in terms of their Practicality, Real-Estate, Family, Ground Clearance, High Seating Position, offering a commanding view of the roads and surfaces ahead, Luggage Space, Passenger Comfort, features and gizmos to keep children and adults entertained and now, Safety as well.

In India, as many have said before on this thread, Size, Road Presence and as you have put it, Street Cred, matter.

And of course, whether we want to admit it or not, driving/ owning an ‘SUV’ does definitely elevate the owner’s ‘status’ amongst the ‘neighbours’ and such. Why else, would Maruti actually call an S Presso an SUV?

Considering that India is getting better connected day by day and the road trip concept is catching on like never before (just see what happens in any city and tourist destinations on a long weekend!), people need vehicles into which they can just jump and drive and feel safe and comfortable in, all the way and back.

And of course SUV’s are able to much better handle and inspire confidence on the horrible broken urban surfaces which seem to be perpetually under construction. (Or shall we say, ‘destruction’?)

All of these are way more important considerations for today’s consumers, than 4WD and Trail Driving and Desert Bashing and Mountain Exploring and Rock Climbing capabilities are, for people to buy SUV type vehicles. There are plenty of posts on team bhp and elsewhere which illustrate the fantastic performance of simple, humble, mechanical little cars like the Alto or 800 or Omni or Zen, in the mountainous or desert regions of India. It becomes abundantly clear then, that one does not really require a bulletproof SUV, bristling with all manner of equipment, to get to Leh or Pangong Tso or Munnar or Kadamane or wherever.

But, the fact is that with increasing economic capability and purchasing power, by buying an SUV like a Thar or Fortuner or similar, normal lay-people and office cubicle-dwellers and such, are simply unleashing their inner ‘Indiana Jones’ personas.
And there is nothing wrong with doing that.
(The Secret Life of Walter Mitty comes to mind.)

Most of us (including myself) are ‘Nebbish’ - (Hebrew) - loosely meaning inconsequential, unremarkable, anonymous flotsam upon the sea of life. And the Thar or Fortuner or Mercedes GLE or whatever we may buy, subconsciously helps to extend our personalities into something that we believe ‘creates an impression’ and ‘establishes us’ in the eyes of the world - ‘Vehicle as an aid to personality extension’.

(Why does a normal middle class city dwelling company executive like me need a Thar? Yes I want to go over all our potholes with aplomb. But somewhere deep within, I also want to wear my Hat and be thought of as Indiana Jones, though I’ll be a somewhat raggedy example!) (That Tata Safari Ad of the 1990’s and early 2000’s - Reclaim your life, was just perfect.)

Basically some of these things are at the root of the enduring SUV craze that seems to envelop the whole country, across market segments. But within that SUV Craze, appearance, size, height, features, overall real-estate, people and luggage carrying ability, practicality and comfort trump everything else.

And these are also some of the reasons why a Creta or Brezza or Grand Vitara or Seltos or Hyryder or Fronx or Elevate or Sonet will return better sales numbers than a Suzuki Jimny ever can.

Like someone said elsewhere, ‘Yeh Hai Mera India’.
No point fighting the tide, better to find a nice little sand bar or tree trunk and rest on it, if one doesnt want to get carried along with the Tide!

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by bobbyblr

Voted YES.

..................................

So basically in the Lite version:

• 2-Din CD player with AM, FM & Bluetooth instead of the 7 inch touch-screen infotainment.
• No Automatic transmission option.
• Basic Air-conditioning instead of the climate control.

Below is one the video of it:
https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=ZZHsD1XbyDA

So Maruti Suzuki can launch the SIGMA variant of the 5 Door Jimny here by removing most of the features not required without compromising the 4x4 capability. The pricing can be around Rs. 10 Lakhs ex-showroom.

That is exactly what I have been thinking. 10L for a basic MT, 4x4 and basic AC is all that is needed. In fact I always prefer to install the audio system and speakers from third party source.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by bobbyblr

Voted YES.

So Maruti Suzuki can launch the SIGMA variant of the 5 Door Jimny here by removing most of the features not required without compromising the 4x4 capability. The pricing can be around Rs. 10 Lakhs ex-showroom.

Bang on. But would I still spend this kind of money in today’s times for such an antiquated engine and gearbox? Very very tough call. Maybe if my use case is 100% hill use. Else it makes little sense still.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Bang on. But would I still spend this kind of money in today’s times for such an antiquated engine and gearbox? Very very tough call. Maybe if my use case is 100% hill use. Else it makes little sense still.

Without diesel it's difficult to appeal to utility buyers despite the cold start issues / DPF etc, it's not just FE but a diesel engine is very effortless to drive in hills VS an NA petrol engine like the one in Jimny.

[motorworks]

A lot depends on what Suzuki India wants the Jimny to achieve in terms of sales. They have enough and more chart busters, so they are not in any dire need to bring in volumes thru the Jimny. But if they do want the Jimny to do better numbers then they have no option but to bring in at least 2 variants without 4x4. I know purists will say whats the purpose of a Jimny without 4x4, but there is just no way to drop the price of the Jimny significantly without removing the 4x4 components. The Jimny is not very heavily equipped with features ( with the exception of 6 airbags ), you cannot reduce the price of the car by just changing a touch screen HU to a normal 2 din system. And the base variant anyway does not get automatic climate control. You see there isnt much to downgrade from, maybe except bringing the airbags down to 2 ( which i wish suzuki never does, but it has many models on sale today with just dual airbags).

Again, I reiterate, it depends on what internally Suzuki wants from the Jimny. If its happy with 2-3k monthly volumes then nothing for Suzuki to worry about.

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Without diesel it's difficult to appeal to utility buyers despite the cold start issues / DPF etc, it's not just FE but a diesel engine is very effortless to drive in hills VS an NA petrol engine like the one in Jimny.

If it had a 1.5l diesel, one would be standing in my driveway right now!!!

[Neil Roy]

XUV400 is offering discounts of upto 3,00,000
Citreon A3 aircross is offering discounts of 1,00,000
Volvo giving discounts of upto 7,00,000.
And more

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com.../105087493.cms

Has the bubble burst and we'll see price corrections through across all models? I sincerely hope so.

[sachinayak]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

In India, as many have said before on this thread, Size, Road Presence and as you have put it, Street Cred, matter.

And of course, whether we want to admit it or not, driving/ owning an ‘SUV’ does definitely elevate the owner’s ‘status’ amongst the ‘neighbours’ and such.

As an owner of a pre-owned Thar, cannot agree more with this. The sheer number of people who look twice at the Thar when on the road brings a smile on your face when you are driving it. Forget adults, yesterday when I was waiting in my apartment to pick up my son, a 5 year old kid saw the Thar and with a expression of awe circled my Thar twice. The look on his face was simply amazing. Thats the cred of a Thar.

PS: I really, really, really wanted to buy a Maruti Gypsy (my first love), but settled for a Thar (Diesel Automatic). Jimny did not make the cut for me, probably a 3-door one may have tugged the strings of the heart. No offence to any owners, to each his own.

[Zezé]

Originally Posted by sachinayak

.......... probably a 3-door one may have tugged the strings of the heart. .............

I agree. I have always been captivated by the 3-door version, which is quite popular in South Africa and Australia. Whilst lacking street presence, a 3-door Jimny could have ticked many boxes for me. Of course, the outrageous pricing would probably have been a deal breaker.

[StarrySky]

I think yes, the pricing is dampening Jimny's sales.

I think unless you are someone who really appreciates the Jimny's talents, and has the lifestyle to justify it, it's difficult to digest the Jimny's price. Compared to cars that cost around the same, Jimny appears compromised. For most people, I think Grand Vitara or Brezza make better sense, if one wants to stick to Maruti.

The Jimny is still a small car and the lack of width is really apparent once we are inside. It may be great for off-roading and also to drive around the city. But if someone wants a small car with enough GC for mostly urban use, there are cheaper options around. The 4x4 hardware is an overkill for this use case. Would a couple of lakhs of discount make a difference? I don't believe so.

[Sankar]

Meanwhile in Australia people are selling 3 door to buy the 5 door.

And while we discuss the pricing I have no idea whether 19L INR is cheap for a used Jimny over there.

[omar]

Originally Posted by Sankar

Meanwhile in Australia people are selling 3 door to buy the 5 door.

Would be interesting to know if they have similar priced cars there, ie competition.

Another thing for our country is the expectation of size when compared to price Small means cheaper. Big/ long means more expensive. If anything does not fit that bill, it has majorly not done well.

You can get so many bigger/ longer cars in the same price range (city, verna, seltos, creta). No one would want to buy the Jimny as a first car, unless for its utility (4x4) or if an enthusiast/ someone who connects with the brand.

The Jimny is a movement in many countries. That’s sadly not yet true here. I blame the overly optimistic pricing for it. Could have played it smart. Launched at introductory prices, then could have increased it later once everyone wanted a Jimny as opposed to being convinced to buy one.

The Jimny actually had the potential of the 1st Gen swift. There’s was nothing like it when launched. This could have been the same. Just not at this price.