Maruti Suzuki Jimny 5-door, Baleno SUV launch details revealed

Maruti Suzuki will take the wraps off not one but two all-new models at the upcoming Auto Expo 2023, which starts on January 11 in New Delhi. The much-awaited Jimny 5-door SUV will see a global debut along with an all-new crossover based on the current-gen Baleno. Both models will be sold via Maruti Suzuki’s Nexa dealership chain. 

1. Baleno-based crossover will get 1.0-litre Boosterjet engine
2. Jimny 5-door will target Thar, Gurkha buyers
3. Both models will be sold via Nexa outlets

Maruti Suzuki Jimny 5-door: India launch date

The Jimny 5-door will be shown for the first time in India next month but its market launch and price announcement will take place later, with sources telling us that the SUV will only go on sale by August 2023. A key reason why the Jimny 5-door won’t come sooner, according to our sources, is due to Maruti’s plans to position the SUV as more of a lifestyle vehicle with proper off-road gear. This means the brand would time the launch of the Jimny 5-door just before or during monsoon season, which is also known as the off-road season among enthusiasts.

This segment, while being niche, is currently dominated by the Mahindra Thar, the Force Gurkha and, to some extent, by the now-discontinued Maruti Gypsy. By timing the Jimny 5-door’s launch during the off-road season, Maruti wants a slice of the pie in this segment. Additionally, India will be the mother plant for the Jimny 5-door, unlike the three-door version that is built in India and Japan.  This means that the Jimny 5-door for the domestic and well as international markets will be manufactured in India.

Maruti Suzuki Baleno-based crossover: launch date

The second and more mass-market offering from Maruti that will debut at the Auto Expo will be an all-new crossover based on the Baleno. Essentially a production version of the Maruti Futuro E Concept from the last Auto Expo, this crossover has been Internally codenamed as Maruti YTB. It will share its monocoque underpinnings, some of the body parts and most of the interior with the Baleno but will come with its own identity, a different marketing name and will also mark the return of the 1.0-litre turbo-petrol Boosterjet engine that was available in the previous-gen Baleno. The Maruti YTB or the Baleno-based crossover will most likely be the first all-new Maruti model to go on sale next year, most likely around early April, just at the beginning of the next financial year.

Upcoming Maruti Suzuki models: 2023 and beyond

The third important launch for the brand will be an all-new three-row MPV that will be supplied by Toyota and will be based on the recently unveiled Innova Hycross. This model will be Maruti’s most expensive offering in India, sitting above the Grand Vitara. Expected price announcement and market launch for the Maruti’s Innova Hycross-based C-MPV will most likely take place in the festive season of 2023, after the Jimny 5-door’s launch.

Additionally, Maruti is also readying next-gen Swift Dzire for a market launch sometime in 2024.  Both models will be all-new and will feature strong hybrid powertrain. Read more on that here.

Also see:

Maruti Suzuki Jimny 5-door to get older K15B petrol engine