Suzuki Jimny Nomade Is So Popular That Japan Has To Suspend Orders After 4 Days

Suzuki has been forced to temporarily suspend orders for the Jimny Nomade in Japan as it is so incredibly popular that manufacturing can’t keep up. The five-door version of the pint-sized off-roader started off popular with Suzuki finding itself overwhelmed by 50,000 orders just four days after announcing the car’s launch. Given that Suzuki’s manufacturing lines can only produce 1,200 units per month, buyers towards the back of the queue could be left waiting up to three and a half years before taking delivery. That’s longer than people wait for a GT3 RS.

You May Know The Jimny By Another Name

The Suzuki Jimny has been around since 1970, originally as a kei-class off-roader but has grown in size for markets outside of Japan. The third generation is the most well-known around the world, mostly as the Suzuki Samurai in the West. It gained a cult following as the little off-roader that could, despite the driver bouncing around like a pea in a whistle, it’s a remarkably agile and hardy SUV. The fourth generation launched in 2018 with a gloriously retro feel to its modern looks reminiscent of the classic Land Rover Defender, and comes complete with a ladder frame, 3-link rigid axle suspension with coil springs, a manual transmission option, and part-time four-wheel drive.

The Five Door Version Has Been Available Elsewhere For A While

While a long-wheelbase, five-door version of the Jimny has been available outside of Japan for some time now, Suzuki has obviously underestimated the demand at home. The Jimny Nomade makes the little SUV more practical for everyday use with the extra doors and interior space while adding just 13.4 inches in length over the three-door version. The Jimny Nomade measures just 153.1 inches in length. For reference, the Mini Cooper is one of the smallest cars available here in the US at 152.6 inches long. Curiously, the Jimny Nomade is made in India, where it hasn’t been a huge hit. Indian people didn’t see the Nomade as good value compared with competitors, which led Suzuki to cut prices there dramatically. That may be part of the reason Suzuki didn’t expect such a runaway success.

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How Will Suzuki Deal With Orders?

“We apologize to customers considering the purchase of the Jimny Nomad due to the suspension of orders. Thank you very much for your interest in our products,” says Suzuki on its official customer-facing website, “The Jimny Nomad has been very well received, and we have received orders that far exceed our production capacity. As a result, we will be temporarily suspending orders. We will provide updates on when orders will reopen, considering the future production situation. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.”

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Suzuki now, seemingly, has a cash cow on its hands if it can open up new lines either in India, Japan, or both. If Suzuki were a small company, it would be a big gamble to try and capitalize on what could end up being a short-term rush. However, despite not having a presence for automobiles in the US and some other major markets, Suzuki Motor Corporation was still the tenth-largest automaker in the world in 2024 by volume. The Chinese automaker BYD overtook Suzuki in 2024 to take ninth place.