√Suzuki Jimny posts record sales in Australia as the Japanese brand hits nine-year high

The pint-sized Suzuki Jimny four-wheel-drive has hit an all-time high in Australia, as the Japanese company shrugs off semiconductor shortages to post its best result in almost a decade.

The Suzuki Jimmy four-wheel-drive has defied the odds and continued to rocket up the Australian new-car sales charts after posting four record years in a row.

Shrugging off semiconductor shortages, Suzuki Jimny sales have quadrupled in the past four years while the rest of the automotive sector remained steady or hit reverse.

According to 2022 new-car sales figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, more than 5600 examples of the Suzuki Jimny were reported as sold last year.

The tally represents a 70 per cent increase from the prior year – and is more than double the number of examples reported as sold in 2020.

Despite record production – and allocation – of the Suzuki Jimny for Australia, wait times typically still stretch from three to six months.

Drive understands the longest delivery delays currently are for automatic variants, however Suzuki has received increased supply of the three-door Jimny out of Japan over the past 12 months.

The growth in Suzuki Jimny sales in Australia is expected to continue this year once the five-door version – unveiled at Auto Expo in India yesterday – joins the current three-door model from the second half of this year.

The Suzuki Jimny’s sales record also lifted the overall sales of the Japanese brand in Australia.

Suzuki reported more than 21,500 new cars as sold in Australia last year, an increase of 23.5 per cent in a market that was up by 3.0 per cent.

It was Suzuki Australia’s highest tally since 2013, though the 2022 figure was still 13 per cent short of the record set in 2010.

Beyond the arrival of the Suzuki Jimny five-door in the second half of 2023, it will be business as usual for the Japanese brand this year.

Most of the Suzuki car range is due for an overhaul in 2024 and 2025.

Exact arrival timing is yet to be confirmed, however if history is a guide, new-generation models of the popular Suzuki Swift hatch and Suzuki Vitara SUV are due within the next two to three years.