The Suzuki Jimny will receive an electric variant in the coming years as one of five new EVs the Japanese manufacturer will launch in Europe by 2030.
As part of an ambitious growth strategy detailed by Suzuki, which includes a £3 billion investment in battery development, the firm will introduce five new electric cars from 2024 onwards and has pledged to achieve carbon neutrality in Europe by 2050.
The first Suzuki EV to arrive on the market will be a production version of the recently revealed eVX concept, a Suzuki S-Cross-sized crossover boasting a 342-mile range.
However, the electric Jimny is unlikely to share the eVX’s underpinnings given its much smaller footprint – and it could even use an adapted version of the combustion car’s platform in a bid to maintain its affordable billing.
The current car is only available with a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing 99bhp and 95lb ft, so electric power will bring a marked improvement in both power and torque.
No details of the electric Jimny have been confirmed, but an official preview image released by Suzuki suggests its distinctive two-box silhouette, slatted grille and squat proportions will be carried over – although new star-shaped headlights hint at a subtle redesign.
From 2024, the Japanese firm will also expand its range to electric SUVs and B-segment models. Two larger electric SUVs are also on the cards, which could be set to compete with the popular Vauxhall Mokka Electric and Kia Niro EV.
As it invests 2.5 trillion yen (£15 billion) in the construction of a battery plant and various other sustainable developments, Suzuki forecasts 80% of the cars it sells in Europe will be battery-electric, with the remaining 20% taken by hybrids.
Suzuki is not immediately set to become an electric-only firm and will continue to work towards developing a carbon-neutral combustion engine for sale in other global markets.
Suzuki cars sold in fast-developing, core regions such as India will eventually be powered by biogas and ethanol mixed fuels as the firm works towards achieving carbon neutrality for 2070. In other core areas like Japan, the firm will continue to develop hybrid powertrains, but it will focus outright on EV power in Europe, where it plans to be carbon neutral by 2050.