Suzuki Jimny wait time blows out to 12 months, but Vitara, Ignis and S-Cross availability still decent

Keen to snap up a brand-new Suzuki Jimny? Well, if demand for the tiny SUV wasn’t high enough when the fourth-gen version first launched in Australia in late 2018, other factors have now extended wait times out to up to 12 months.

The hit comes as Suzuki – along with most other brands – gets caught up in the semi-conductor shortage, but also due to some factors caused by the COVID-19 virus and, on top of that, just a heck of a lot of customer demand for the diminutive SUV.

Suzuki Australia’s general manager of automobiles, Michael Pachota, told CarsGuide that the current delays or lack of stock come down to different reasons for many manufacturers and that “the most common impacts would be a result of lockdowns in countries that have factories located there”.

“The other [factor] is the shortage on components to finalise builds,” he said.

“We’ve unfortunately been impacted on both fronts, components in Japan and production in India.”

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However, Mr Pachota said other models, like the Ingis light SUV, S-Cross and Vitara small crossover are more freely available for anyone looking for a brand-new Suzuki.

“In May and June, our supply improved for Ignis, S-Cross and Vitara,” he said.

“Specifically, Vitara will be quite healthy in the Turbo variant over the next four months.”

But looking further into 2021, Mr Pachota warned that supply wouldn’t necessarily get better, and cautioned that the brand is taking it one quarter at a time.

“Components necessary to finalise builds on Swift and Swift Sport, future production on Ignis, and potentially Jimny sees us staring into the unknown for Q4 arrivals in Australia,” he said.

“At this stage, we are in a manageable position for Q3.

“Baleno production has halted in May due to India’s severe coronavirus impact, however we’ve been fortunate to have reasonable stock to meet our sales forecast in May and June.”

Mr Pachota did warn that many vehicles arriving in the last few months are already spoken for, and are landing to fulfill back orders.

“Some of these are going back two to three months,” he said.

“Jimny still has up to a 12-month queue and orders for this little beast continue to grow.”

Suzuki’s sales figures are still impressive even with some stock shortages, with backorders pumping May up to almost 1600 vehicle deliveries, up 71.3 percent on the same month last year.

In the five months this year, sales are up 32.9 percent on the same period of 2020.