Over the years, Toyota has been consistently launching car models developed from Suzuki such as Glanza (based on Baleno), Rumion (Ertiga), and Urban Cruiser Hyryder (Grand Vitara). Conversely, Suzuki also sells renamed and redesigned car models from Toyota such as Across (derived from RAV4) and Invicto (Innova Cross). These car models help both Japanese brands save costs and development time.
However, it seems that Suzuki is not willing to share every car model with its “sibling” partner, as evident in the cases of Jimny and Swift. Toyota is said to be very interested in developing two models from Jimny and Swift, but Suzuki refuses.
“Toyota wants to sell renamed versions of Jimny and Swift, but we politely declined,” an internal source of Suzuki told the reporters of Autocar India magazine.
Explaining this, Suzuki believes that Jimny and Swift are two car models representing the “genes” of the brand. Therefore, Suzuki does not want to share these two models with Toyota. Suzuki is concerned that Toyota selling cars based on Jimny and Swift may affect the iconic nature of these two cars.
It is not surprising that Toyota wants to sell a renamed version of Suzuki Jimny. For the Toyota brand, a renamed version of the Suzuki Jimny would be an attractive and much cheaper alternative to the Fortuner.
Sharing Jimny with Toyota could help Suzuki increase sales. In the Indian market, the sales of Suzuki Jimny have been declining after the initial enthusiasm faded. In November 2023, the sales of the SUV model dubbed “mini Mercedes-Benz G-Class” dropped to 1,020 units. In the cumulative 11 months of 2023, Suzuki has sold 15,476 units of Jimny to Indian customers.
Although Jimny is selling slower than expected, Suzuki still refuses to share it with Toyota to boost sales. “Doing so is no different than us proposing Toyota to develop a renamed version of the Land Cruiser. Those car models that serve as the heart of the brand are not meant to be shared, and both companies respect that,” added the Suzuki internal source.
In contrast to Jimny, Swift is a very popular model for Suzuki in the Indian market. Therefore, it is understandable that Toyota wants a renamed version of this B-segment car in its product portfolio.
As a symbol of Suzuki, the Swift continuously breaks sales records in the Indian market with an average of about 17,100 units per month. Currently, the Glanza and Rumion models account for about 25% of Toyota’s total monthly sales in the Indian market. If a renamed version of Swift is launched, Toyota could witness a monthly sales growth of up to 25%. Unfortunately, this figure cannot become a reality as Toyota did not receive a nod from Suzuki.
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