Why don't Suzuki offer factory soft and hardtop models?

mlines wrote:

It's an international forum. It's fair to say the majority are in the UK but then as the site started in the UK and any meets etc are in the UK then that's only natural.

However everyone is welcome. We do remind users that as it's global and not all Jimnys are the same, particularly if the user is asking a specification question.

As you can see from the demographics, only 51% of visits are in the UK. A lot of overseas visitors are probably readers and not posters  although they are welcome to post. For an example I called a Jimny specialist overseas a few weeks ago and could hear them say in the background, "It's Martin from BigJimny calling us!!" so the reach is quite wide.

Yep, and if I were a Jimny owner I'd probably be a regular on here. As I mentioned, I simply did a quick search of Jimny forums and this one came up so I thought I'd ask here first. Sadly, my written Japanese is woeful so I shyed away from local sites, but I think for more accurate reasons I will need to attempt it. And I'm happy to report back if I learn anything definitive. 

Cheers

Motacilla wrote:

Why doesn't Suzuki make the Jimny in [any configuration but the two they offer]?  Well, because they can sell all they can make today, so what would be the benefit?

The Maruti business unit came up with the 4-door because they had factory capacity they needed to fill and the numbers told them it would be profitable.  But unless/until they have 1) excess production capacity and 2) think a soft-top would sell in substantial numbers, there's no reason to expand the range.  No real mystery to it.  

But maybe as a boring "numbers guy" my explanation is not a satisfying one!
 

Again, you're focusing on the soft top, which I guess I'm partly to blame for, but the other option is a removable hardtop.
While a permanent hardtop is simpler and less expensive to produce, the removable hardtop offers a significant benefit in terms of driving experience and versatility, justifying the added cost and engineering challenges, at least in my opinion. And, just like with Jeeps, if cost is such a significant factor, there are myriad other vehicles that are cheaper. I don't know how they're typically used in the UK, but here in domestic Japan, where the overwhelming majority are sold, a large portion of owners use them for recreation or a combination of daily driver and weekend recreation. Maybe the way I should have posed the question is why don't Jeep offer a permanent hartop version?

ShizuokaMark wrote:

Motacilla wrote:

Why doesn't Suzuki make the Jimny in [any configuration but the two they offer]?  ...  unless/until they have 1) excess production capacity and 2) think >another configuration< would sell in substantial numbers, there's no reason to expand the range.  



 

Again, you're focusing on the soft top, which I guess I'm partly to blame for, but the other option is a removable hardtop.

Actually, I'm not.  I edited my reply above, to make my point clearer.  

You may not be aware, but for the production life of the Gen4, Suzuki (Japan) has by all appearances been straining to produce enough of the Jimny to meet demand.  

The makers of Jeep can only dream of such a situation.

fordem wrote:

I'm so saddened, not enough of us from the Caribbean to even be a blip in the demographics

In todays chart countdown.....

Trindad and Tobago is at number 46
Dominican Republic is at number 62
Jamaica is at number 64

And as it is partially the subject of this thread - Japan is 29

 Again, you're focusing on the soft top, which I guess I'm partly to blame for, but the other option is a removable hardtop.
While a permanent hardtop is simpler and less expensive to produce, the removable hardtop offers a significant benefit in terms of driving experience and versatility, justifying the added cost and engineering challenges, at least in my opinion. And, just like with Jeeps, if cost is such a significant factor, there are myriad other vehicles that are cheaper. I don't know how they're typically used in the UK, but here in domestic Japan, where the overwhelming majority are sold, a large portion of owners use them for recreation or a combination of daily driver and weekend recreation. Maybe the way I should have posed the question is why don't Jeep offer a permanent hartop version?

The problem for us in the UK (and Europe) is that Suzuki have withdrawn the Jimny, they stopped selling the 4 seat car version in the UK in 2020 and stopped selling the LCV in 2024, therefore European markets cannot influence Suzuki at all, even if they ever could.  Japan is by far the biggest market, around half of all Jimnys made, with Australia in second place.  If anyone could influence Suzuki it would be the home market.

ShizuokaMark wrote:

You conveniently left out the part about engineers/employees frequenting forums of vehicles they work on, or perhaps you don't believe they do. And I have no problem with hearing people's opinions on the subject, although they're just that.

Engineers & employees sign NDAs (Non Disclosure Agreements), I've lost track of how many I've signed over the years, even when a forum is owned & operated by the "business entity", with employees paid to administer & respond, they are limited in what they can reveal.

As for opinions, everybody has one and not all are based on facts.