Maruti Suzuki Jimny 5-door has quietly notched up a major global milestone. The off roader, which rolled out from the company’s Indian plants just over a year ago, has now crossed 1 lakh units in cumulative exports.
The Jimny 5-door is now exported to over 100 countries, including some of the toughest and most discerning markets like Japan, Mexico, Australia, South Africa, and Chile.
This milestone also sits within a broader narrative, India’s steady rise as Suzuki’s global export base. Jimny 5-door is the second highest exported model of Maruti Suzuki next only to Fronx, strengthening the company’s foothold around the globe over traditional small-car segments.
In the first half of FY2025-26 alone, Maruti Suzuki exported more than 2 lakh vehicles, up by almost 40 percent year-on-year, highest-ever half-yearly export ever. The company now accounts for about 46 percent of India’s passenger vehicle exports, a figure that testifies to both its size and reliability.
( Maruti Suzuki India eyes 4 lakh exports in FY26 to counter domestic market slowdown)
A milestone beyond numbers
Maruti Suzuki MD and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi described the export milestone as a “source of pride” that showcases the Jimny’s “uncompromising quality and robust off-road heritage.” Beyond the formal statement, though, is a larger trend: India’s evolved manufacturing ecosystem, which is able to produce cars that are not just attractive to emerging nations but also to mature markets such as Japan and Australia.
The Jimny’s global success, in many ways, mirrors Maruti Suzuki’s evolution, from a domestic mass-market leader to a brand increasingly woven into Suzuki’s international strategy. With export figures rising steadily and models such as the Fronx and Jimny taking the lead, India’s position in the global auto supply chain has never appeared more central.
( Maruti Suzuki Fronx becomes the fastest crossover SUV to clock 1 lakh exports from India)
A heritage SUV that’s gone global
The Jimny bears a five-decade pedigree of small off-roaders, admired for their simplicity and dependability. The India-produced 5-door version, launched in 2023, introduced a new layer, practicality, over that old-school appeal.
When it arrived in Japan earlier this year under the name Jimny Nomade, demand was immediate. Orders crossed 50,000 units within days, an extraordinary reception in one of the world’s most demanding and quality-conscious markets. For Maruti Suzuki, which typically exports smaller hatchbacks and compact SUVs, seeing an India-made 4×4 achieve such acceptance abroad underscores how far the country’s automotive capabilities have come.
At its core, the Jimny 5-door remains a true off-roader. Built on a ladder-frame chassis and equipped with Suzuki’s ALLGRIP PRO 4WD system, it’s powered by a 1.5-litre petrol engine, a simple yet robust setup that balances durability with performance. It’s not about power figures or on-road flash; it’s about dependability, the kind that makes it equally at home on mountain tracks or narrow city lanes.