What's this then?
This is the iM-4, a compact 4x4 concept from Suzuki that you would automatically think is the long-awaited Jimny replacement. Come on; look at its slab sides and cute little face. It must be the Jimny, right?
Well, no apparently. Suzuki says that a new Jimny concept is actually due next year and that the iM-4 is... something else. What else, we can't quite imagine.
Underneath is the same new modular platform that's being shown off by the iK-2 concept car (a.k.a, the new Swift) and the same 1.0-litre turbo three-cylinder Boosterjet petrol engine. The iM-4 also has full-time four-wheel drive and a new mild hybrid system, which Suzuki calls Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki, or SHVS (Suzuki has always loved a good torturous acronym). This new mild hybrid uses an ISG (integrated starter generator), providing engine power assistance using the motor and achieves efficient power regeneration. The SHVS system used for the iM-4 also features lithium-ion batteries. Coupled with a newly-developed high-efficiency ISG, this regenerative braking system is claimed to be the perfect hybrid system for a compact car. As well as improving fuel efficiency, it also keeps down the size, weight and cost.
So, if this isn't the new Jimny, what is it?
Neil Briscoe - 3 Mar 2015