SIZE MATTERS
THE WEEK India|June 11, 2023
A new type of car buyer is changing the rules in the Indian auto industry
K. SUNIL THOMAS
SIZE MATTERS

MARUTI SUZUKI JIMNY

Launching: June

Price: ₹10 lakh

Sporty and masculine, the Jimny will be part of Maruti’s push into the SUV segment, along with Fronx. Jimny will take on the Mahindra Thar in the 4x4 off-road segment and will be crucial in Maruti's shift to SUVs. 

It may give you strong vibes of the erstwhile Gypsy, but Maruti Suzuki’s Jimny is so much more than the action vehicle of choice of every cop flick in the 1990s. Once you get over the nostalgia, you will see that the Jimny is strictly in tune with the 2020s' sensibilities. Big, brawny and muscular, it takes the tough with the smooth, awash with features like door defogger, rear wiper and washer, and hill hold and hill descent control.

When India’s biggest carmaker announced its intend to launch Jimny in January, it was pivotal to its strategy to capture marketshare in the crucial sports utility vehicles (SUV), which account for 43 per cent of all passenger vehicle (PV) sales in the country. Maruti controlled barely 12 per cent of this segment. “We needed to do better in the SUV segment if we were to increase our market share,” said Shashank Srivastava, senior executive officer of Maruti Suzuki. “When we looked at it last year, there were 42 competing models, but Maruti had only one— the Brezza.” While Fronx, a smaller SUV, was launched recently, Jimny would be the real thing. Even before announcing a launch date (now set for June 7), Jimny notched up 30,000 bookings.

That in itself symbolises the biggest transformation the Indian auto industry has seen in recent years—big is now beautiful.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 11, 2023-Ausgabe von THE WEEK India.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 11, 2023-Ausgabe von THE WEEK India.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS THE WEEK INDIAAlle anzeigen
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
THE WEEK India

What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?

IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.

time-read
5 Minuten  |
December 08, 2024
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
THE WEEK India

Trump and the crisis of liberalism

Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
December 08, 2024
Men eye the woman's purse
THE WEEK India

Men eye the woman's purse

A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
December 08, 2024
When trees hold hands
THE WEEK India

When trees hold hands

A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges

time-read
3 Minuten  |
December 08, 2024
Ms Gee & Gen Z
THE WEEK India

Ms Gee & Gen Z

The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing

time-read
5 Minuten  |
December 08, 2024
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
THE WEEK India

Vikram Seth-a suitable man

Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
December 08, 2024
Superman bites the dust
THE WEEK India

Superman bites the dust

When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
December 08, 2024
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
THE WEEK India

OLD MAN AND THE SEA

Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port

time-read
4 Minuten  |
December 08, 2024
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE WEEK India

Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets

THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
December 08, 2024
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
THE WEEK India

Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay

AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
December 08, 2024