Why the Suzuki Jimny is outselling expectations - and being punished for It

The Suzuki Jimny has become a cult hit among Aussie drivers - but the Albanese government, through the agency of Misery Minister Chris Bowen, is seeking to penalise Suzuki for its sinful production of light, low-impact cars, writes Tim Blair.

The Suzuki Jimny faces $500 price hike despite Chris Bowen promising a world of automotive greatness via their new emissions standards.

Back in 2018, your non-expert car guy here predicted big things for a little device called the Suzuki Jimny.

Australians, I wrote, would embrace a compact, straightforward, petrol-engined 4WD that has a touch of retro style about it, is fine for both city parking and weekend camping, and comes in at an affordable price.

My 2018 forecast, several months prior to the new Jimny hitting Australian showrooms: “This thing is going to sell like crazy.”

I didn’t know the half of it. In 2019, Suzuki sold 1391 Jimnys. In 2020, 2368. In 2021, 3350. In both 2022 and 2023, sales passed the 5000 mark. And sales almost doubled again last year, with 9697 new Jimnys being registered.

Everyone’s a winner — car buyers aiming to dodge cost of living (and cost of Labor) pressures, importers and sellers of Suzuki cars, aftermarket 4WD modifiers and the economy in general. And all because people really adore a small, cute and abundantly capable baby SUV.

The Albanese government, with its dedication to protecting the environment, should also be pleased. The Suzuki Jimny sips fuel at a misery rate of 6.4 to 6.9 litres for 100km, or better than 40mpg. It is similarly earth-friendly to manufacture, being composed of basic materials.

As well, unlike Chinese vehicles, very little slavery, coercion or torture is typically involved in Jimny assembly. Bonus!

A sensible government would at this point leave well enough alone. Ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

But the Albanese government, through the agency of Misery Minister Chris Bowen, now seeks to penalise Suzuki for its sinful production of light, low-impact cars.

According to Suzuki Queensland general manager Paul Dillon, his company is expecting significant fines for not meeting emissions standards required by the Labor government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, or NVES.

Despite selling only light, small and frugal cars, Suzuki doesn’t yet offer a purely electric model. Under NVES rules, this demands punishment.

By Dillon’s estimate, the penalty per sold car in Suzuki’s range will end up being “north of $500”. And it’ll all be passed on to buyers. “I can’t see any way around it,” Dillon told journalist Iain Curry for an admirably even-handed piece in online electric car mag EV Central.

The entire interview, brought to an expanded audience by must-watch YouTuber MGUY Australia, is worth reading for 38-year industry veteran Dillon’s clarity and insight. “I just don’t think the Australian market wants an EV, but we’re being forced on it with NVES,” he pointed out.

“Certainly if you go up to North Queensland, nobody’s much interested at all. And a lot of dealers we talk to won’t trade an electric car.”

EVs are already known for their poor resale, but an outright trade refusal is next-level bad.

Meanwhile, the Automotive Insights Report from May this year notes that value retention for two-to-four-year-old Suzuki Jimnys is running at 111.8 per cent.

Yep. Demand for these superb non-electric babies is such that they’re worth more used than new.

If only the Albanese government had an equally magical financial touch. Well, they kind of do, if we’re talking about value-adding for China. “They’re undoubtedly a threat,” Dillon told EV Central about Chinese imports, “and the legislation has almost leaned towards (helping) it.”

How absolutely unexpected. Little wonder that Chinese EV sales – faked up by subsidies, incentives and rebates – remain strong. Perhaps one day our Handsome Boy will have a crappy BYD EV named in his honour.

But what of Hopeless Boy, our mate Bowen, and his NVES dreams? When NVES legislation was passed last year, Bowen and Transport Minister Catherine King issued a press release promising a world of automotive greatness.

“Australian motorists will soon be able to choose from a wider range of cleaner, cheaper to run cars,” they claimed. “This is good news for the hip pocket and for the environment.”

Bowen always talks about the NVES increasing buyer options.

What he means is Australians will have a wider range of EVs that nobody wants to buy, while hip pockets take a hit on the cars we’re actually prepared to own.

“This is the right package of measures for Australia,” the press release continued.

“This is the right package of measures for Australia. People will still be able to buy the vehicles they know and love while getting access to the safest, most modern, efficient cars.”

Let’s rework Bowen’s nonsense into something truthful. How’s this: “People will be able to pay considerably more for the vehicles they know and love while pointlessly getting access to vehicles they don’t love and won’t purchase.”

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to buy a Suzuki Jimny.

Not to drive, but as an investment.