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Australian Suzuki Jimny customers could soon have more choice, as the Japanese company teases a new ‘Rhino Edition’ for the three-door.
Suzuki Australia has teased the release of a new 'Rhino' special edition of the three-door Jimny four-wheel-drive, which is back on sale locally with safety upgrades to meet new regulations.
A blurry video played to Australian media at a preview drive of the revised Jimny showed a neon green/yellow three-door filmed in the same style as Bigfoot sighting footage.
Visible in one frame of the video is the Jimny's historic Rhinoceros logo, alongside 'rhino' written in Japanese kanji script.
"It’s something exciting for us," Michael Pachota, Suzuki Australia General Manager, told Drive. "We're doing something exclusive for the Australian market, which will be the subject of a future announcement.
"With that said, it'll definitely be something special."
While specifications and information are still to be announced for the Australian market, Suzuki has sold a series of Rhino editions of the Jimny in overseas markets.
In South Africa and Malaysia, the Rhino added unique 'REAL OFFROADER' decals, silver bumper garnishes, differential guards, a rhino-branded soft spare wheel cover, a heritage front grille with 'SUZUKI' script, red mud flaps, and wind deflectors.
In the Philippines, the heritage grille was swapped for a chrome item, and the text on the decals was changed to 'RHINO EDITION'.
The interior, powertrain, and chassis in these overseas Rhino editions were left unchanged. It is unclear if Australia will take the Rhino Edition further than styling and mild underbody changes.
While it did appear in the distorted footage that the exterior has seen little change – possibly hinting at revisions underneath – Suzuki Australia has a history of Jimny special editions with only minor cosmetic changes.
The Heritage Edition was the last limited version of the three-door, with a $1500 price increase over the GLX for red mudflaps, a cargo tray, and unique decals.
Release timing, pricing, and specifications of the Suzuki Jimny Rhino Edition are likely to be released within the coming months.
Zane Dobie comes from a background of motorcycle journalism, working for notable titles such as Australian Motorcycle News Magazine, Just Bikes and BikeReview. Despite his fresh age, Zane brings a lifetime of racing and hands-on experience. His passion now resides on four wheels as an avid car collector, restorer, drift car pilot and weekend go-kart racer.
