Suzuki will "clean out" almost its entire model range in Australia due to new regulations
Major changes are coming to Suzuki's Australian line-up due to new safety regulations that most of the company's current models don't meet. The new Swift and the five-door Jimny XL have escaped the purge, but almost all other models have been hit by the cuts.
Here's What We Know
The reason for the changes is that the Suzuki Ignis, Swift Sport, Vitara, S-Cross and three-door Jimny do not meet the updated Australian Design Rules (ADR) standards, which come into effect on 1 March 2025 and contain expanded requirements for Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB). Ignis is the only model on this list for which AEB is not available as standard. The other models have the previous generation AEB, which does not fit the new requirements.
Suzuki Australia managing director Michael Pachota told CarExpert that these models have already reached the end of their life cycle, so taking them off the market "always" was part of the company's product planning. He added that although Suzuki has stopped taking orders for production of the aforementioned models, there is enough stock on hand to last the whole of 2025.
Suzuki Jimny. Photo: Suzuki
More importantly, the carmaker is "exploring" the possibility of the three-door Jimny returning to the Australian market once current stock runs out. No details have been released, but it's possible the diminutive SUV will get the advanced dual-camera AEB that the five-door version of the Jimny already has.
Apart from the Jimny, Suzuki plans to introduce slightly updated hybrid versions of the Vitara and S-Cross crossovers in Australia. Details will be announced in the third quarter of the year, but the updated Vitara is already available in Europe, giving Australians an idea of what to expect.
The Ignis compact crossover and Swift Sport hatchback are likely to be without successors. That said, Suzuki's Australian line-up will soon be joined by the new Fronx SUV, which is manufactured in India.
Many models from other carmakers have also been affected by the new ADR rules, including the Mitsubishi ASX, Eclipse Cross and Pajero Sport, as well as the Mazda6. All were nearing the end of their lifecycle, so investing in a possible refresh for the Australian market was deemed impractical.
Source: CarExpert
