Suzuki Jimny History

Compact SUV · 1970–present

Sample hero image — replace with real model photography.

History

The Jimny traces its roots to Hope Motor Company's LJ10 light jeep of 1970; Suzuki acquired the project and launched it under its own badge that same year. The original LJ-series cars were bare-bones, air-cooled two-stroke 4x4s built purely for off-road utility.

A second generation (SJ30/SJ410/SJ413) followed from 1981, growing slightly and swapping to water-cooled four-cylinder power, while remaining ladder-frame and body-on-frame. This generation was produced in Spain until 2004 and in India until 2019.

The third generation (JB23/JB33/JB43) arrived in 1998 and ran an astonishing 20 years with only cosmetic updates — testament to how well the formula worked. The fourth generation debuted in 2018 with a retro-squared design that caused a global buying frenzy, and is not sold in the United States due to import regulations on its small size.

Generations

First generation (LJ-series) · LJ10 / LJ20 / LJ50 / LJ80 (1970–1981)

Photo: “Suzuki lj80.jpg” by Andreanrama / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Air-cooled two-stroke origins evolving toward water-cooled fours; primitive but effective mini 4x4.
- 1970
  Photo: “1970 Suzuki Jimny.jpg” by TTTNIS / Wikimedia Commons — CC0 1.0
- 1976
  Photo: “1976 Suzuki LJ50 4WD (15523143152).jpg” by Sicnag / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY 2.0
Second generation (SJ-series) · SJ30 / SJ410 / SJ413 (1981–1998)

Water-cooled four-cylinders; sold in over 100 countries, produced in Spain until 2004 and India until 2019.
Third generation · JB23 / JB33 / JB43 (1998–2018)

A 20-year production run with minimal changes — ladder-frame, live rear axle, cult following worldwide.
Fourth generation · JB64 / JB74 (2018–present)

Retro-boxy redesign that caused global demand surges; not offered in the United States.