If you love the Suzuki Jimny, then you likely know that one of its selling points since arriving in the Philippine market in October 2018 is the fact that it is proudly sourced from Japan. Well, sure, supply issues forced Suzuki Philippines to get the units from Maruti Suzuki in India starting in May (or was it April?) 2021, but we have to credit the local distributor for restoring the order of its Jimny importation by January 2023.

So, yes, Jimny units for our market come from the Land of the Rising Sun. But this is the three-door version we’re talking about. What about the Jimny 5-Door that is scheduled to be officially launched this month? Will it originate from Japan or India?

Answer: The Jimny 5-Door that we’ll receive is manufactured in India. But this is not the result of Suzuki Philippines’ preference or business decision. This is out of the company’s control. “The Jimny 5-Door plant is currently only in India,” an inside source has confirmed to us. Meaning, the model is exclusively made in India.

Before this piece of information puts you off, let us assure you that the quality standard can be guaranteed by Suzuki. And this is not the same as the feeling of settling for a three-door Jimny that was temporarily imported from India, because we all knew that a Japan-made version existed. In the case of the incoming Jimny 5-Door, there is only an India-assembled version available.

Should this matter? If you ask us, no, it shouldn’t. But if you are prejudiced with a paralyzing bias that borders on racism, too bad. Because you could miss out on a fun off-road vehicle.