Suzuki Jimny Nomade drives record reverse imports into Japan

Globalisation produces some unexpected outcomes. Japan is Suzuki’s home market, yet one of the brand’s most sought-after models in the Land of the Rising Sun has to arrive by ship… from India.

Built in India by Maruti Suzuki, the Jimny Nomade - the five-door version of the small Japanese off-roader - has become a phenomenon in Japan, driving an unusual trend in the figures: so-called reverse imports have reached record levels.

During the first half of 2026, 72,330 Japanese-brand cars built overseas were registered in Japan, a 38% increase on the same period a year earlier. Of that total, 34,288 were Suzukis.

Suzuki Jimny Nomade drives reverse imports into Japan

This is known as a reverse import: rather than building a car in Japan for export, a Japanese manufacturer produces it abroad before importing it into its own domestic market. For the Jimny Nomade, that journey begins in India.

Adding these reverse imports to conventional imports from foreign brands makes the result even more remarkable. Suzuki has become the brand importing the most cars into Japan, overtaking Mercedes-Benz.

It marks a historic moment. The German manufacturer had led Japan’s imported-car market among foreign brands for 11 consecutive years, from 2015 to 2025.

The reason is clear: the Jimny Nomade. When it went on sale in Japan in April 2025, Suzuki had anticipated monthly sales of just 1,200 units. Within only four days, it had received around 50,000 orders.

That was enough to sell out the production initially planned for several years in one go, forcing the brand to temporarily halt orders. Suzuki subsequently increased production allocated to Japan substantially and, almost a year later, reopened the order books on 30 January 2026.

The same formula, with more room

To create the more family-friendly Jimny - and its first five-door version - Suzuki “stretched” its compact 4×4. Overall length increased by 50 cm to 3.985 m, while the wheelbase grew by 34 cm to 2.59 m.

The larger dimensions bring more interior space, with rear-seat passengers benefiting most. Boot capacity has also increased, rising from the tiny 85 litres of the three-door, four-seat Jimny to a more generous, though still modest, 208 litres.

Traditional Jimny off-road hardware remains

Beneath the bodywork, however, the Jimny retains its familiar formula: a ladder-frame chassis, rigid axles, four-wheel drive and a transfer case with low-range gearing.

Its engine is equally familiar: the K15B, a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre four-cylinder producing 102 hp and 130 Nm. It is offered with either a five-speed manual gearbox or a four-speed automatic.

In Japan, the Jimny Nomade currently costs 2,926,000 yen, approximately €16,000 at the current exchange rate, with either the manual or automatic transmission. Despite its domestic-market success, there is no indication that it will reach Europe. In fact, the Jimny stopped being sold across the European Union altogether last year.