3 hours Ago By Jordan Mulach
Up to four models could soon become unavailable in Australia, where the popular three-door Jimny 4×4 may also face a brief sales hiatus. or signup to continue reading Production of the current , , and has ended for Australia, with Suzuki Australia managing director Michael Pachota telling they've reached the end of their local lifecycles. Suzuki Australia says it will have enough stock of the aforementioned models to continue selling them "in 2025", but did not provide a reason for the production cessation.
However, it coincides with the introduction of Australian Design Rule 98/00, which comes into effect on March 1, 2025 and outlines specific performance requirements for autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems. While the above Suzuki models all come standard with AEB – except the Ignis, which doesn't have the potentially life-saving automatic braking technology – they may not meet the requirements of the new regulation. For context, all new vehicle launches following March 2023 have been required to meet the ADR, but from March 2025 all new cars and SUVs must be compliant with the regulation.
This regulation has already resulted in the axing of – including the (which is set to be replaced by a rebadged ), the and – the . "Whilst we have stopped production orders of these vehicles, we will have inventory to continue sales in 2025," said Mr Pachota. "In effect, the product is not 'axed', more so each model specified is actually at the end of its life cycle, which was always part of our product planning.
" Suzuki Australia had previously confirmed the as it lacks AEB, but the non-compliance for the S-Cross, Vitara and Swift Sport comes as more of a surprise. While the also comes standard with AEB, the system fitted to the three-door is different to that in the newer five-door Jimny XL. Jimny three-doors are equipped with a single camera that feeds images and data back to its safety systems, while the Jimny XL has a dual-camera system that makes it more capable.
It's understood the three-door will this year be upgraded with the dual-camera system. Suzuki is also set to launch a handful of new hybrid models, either based on existing nameplates or brand-new vehicles for Australia. Last year Suzuki revealed a with an updated 'Dual Sensor Brake Support II' AEB system, which includes an expanded detection area and the ability to detect vehicles, motorcycles and pedestrians directly or diagonally ahead of it.
Initially due to arrive in Australia during the first quarter of 2025 (January to March), it was subsequently delayed to the second quarter (April to June). A new S-Cross hybrid is due in the third quarter (July to September), however, it's not yet known whether this has an upgraded AEB system compared to the one in the current petrol-only model. While Suzuki also launched a new Swift in Australia last year, a replacement for the previous Swift Sport warm hatch has not yet been revealed globally.
Last month, Suzuki delivered 1431 vehicles in Australia, including 712 Jimnys, 345 Swifts (understood to mostly be the new-generation model, not Swift Sports), 218 Vitaras, 83 Ignises and 73 S-Crosses. Suzuki is set to launch the Fronx hybrid SUV in the second quarter of this year. Content originally sourced from: Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date.
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