The Jimny is here to stay
Log onto Suzuki's website for the UK and you will see many cars, but not the one which made the brand famous, the iconic Jimny.
This is because Suzuki UK doesn’t sell the Jimny anymore, as from January 1.
The little go-anywhere SUV is the latest vehicle to get stuck in Europe’s stringent CO2 emissions legislation.
At best, the 5-speed manual transmission Jimny model emits 154g of CO2 per km, 59g more than what legislation in that part of the globe requires a carmaker to meet as an average across its lineup fleet.
As in most other parts of the globe, the Jimny has a big following in the UK and therefore die-hard fans of the capable off-roader are not happy with this move.
However, Suzuki said it has a plan to reintroduce the Jimny in the UK and circumvent emission legislation by offering the vehicle in ‘commercial form’.
A ‘commercial’ Jimny will have no rear seats but instead a van-like load area, and void of some other luxury features the passenger version offer as standard kit.
But such a development will take time, so in the meanwhile preowned Jimnys are much sought after in the UK and trading at unnecessarily high prices.
Can the same happen here in SA; the Jimny being taken off the market due to its CO2 nonconformity?
It’s unlikely because the SA government seems to be happy with taxing both manufacturers and buyers according to what their vehicles emit.
In fact, the government adjusted its emissions tax rate for passenger cars just last year from R110 (plus VAT) per gram of carbon dioxide per kilometre (g/km) above the 120g/km threshold to R120 (plus VAT) per gram above a lower 95g/km threshold.
So SA’s Jimny fanatics have no reason to worry…
Photos: MotorPress
