The new Suzuki Jimny five-door is off to a flying start in South Africa, as it has already sold a total of 971 units since it first went on sale four months ago.
The larger SUV made its local debut in October 2023 and has been responsible for a significant uptick in the brand’s monthly sales, which has since helped Suzuki to break a new sales record with 5,000 units in one month, putting it right behind the long-time second-best-selling brand in the country, Volkswagen.
What fans have been waiting for
The Jimny is one of the Japanese carmaker’s oldest and most recognizable nameplates and has been a hit for decades owing to its sales pitch as one of the most affordable 4x4s on the market.
Among the most requested additions from fans of the original Jimny has been another two points of entry for the traditionally three-door compact SUV, but this was not an option when the fourth-generation models were first introduced.
This didn’t stop the Jimny from being a hit, mind you, as there is a massive following for the car in South Africa that has spawned events like the Suzuki Safari Town Festival which even managed to set a Guinness World Record.
In any case, the announcement and eventual launch of the five-door model was met with excitement from local motorists, which is evident from its reception in showrooms.
Naamsa provides monthly sales reports for every vehicle in South Africa, but it does not differentiate by model, making it difficult to tell how much of an impact the larger version has had on the SUV’s overall sales.
Luckily, Suzuki was kind enough to supply TopAuto with a breakdown of the two variants’ sales since the five-door made its debut in October, which you can see below:
| Month | Suzuki Jimny 3-door | Suzuki Jimny 5-door |
|---|---|---|
| October 2023 | 69 units | 10 units |
| November 2023 | 53 units | 297 units |
| December 2023 | 37 units | 295 units |
| January 2024 | 76 units | 369 units |
| Total | 235 units | 971 units |
This shows how the five-door has been an incredible success since its arrival, selling more than four times as many units over the same period and helping the Jimny nameplate achieve a combined total of 1,206 units in four months.
As a reminder, the three-door has a starting price of R390,900, while the bigger version goes for a minimum of R429,900, so consumers are evidently willing to pay a R39,000 premium to get their hands on their preferred Suzuki.
We also asked the automaker if it had any data regarding whether motorists prefer to pick up the GL or GLX specification, and if most are going for the five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission, but a company representative told TopAuto that it is still early days in terms of sales and that it is too soon to say.
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