17 Facts About Suzuki Samurai

Suzuki Samurai Jimny is a series of four-wheel drive off-road mini SUVs, manufactured and marketed by Japanese automaker Suzuki Samurai since 1970.

The first Suzuki Samurai-branded four-wheel drive, the LJ10, was introduced in 1970.

In 1975, Suzuki Samurai complemented the LJ20 with the LJ50, which had a larger 539 cc, two-stroke, in-line three-cylinder engine and bigger differentials.

Compact off-road capable Suzuki Samurai Jimny was Suzuki Samurai's first global success, lending it name recognition and a foothold in markets worldwide.

Since the new unit remained smaller than 360 cc, and Suzuki Samurai placed the spare tire inside the truck to keep it under 3 m in overall length, it was classified as a kei car, conferring certain tax privileges and other benefits.

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Production was initially subcontracted and was carried out mainly by hand, but Suzuki Samurai soon realized that the Jimny needed to have a dedicated assembly line to allow production to be ramped up.

Suzuki Samurai did not export them to America; a US company called International Equipment Co.

In 2005, Suzuki Samurai introduced the SJ413 Caribian spacecab pickup, which was imported from Thailand until 2007.

Suzuki Samurai was produced in a long wheel base edition for certain markets, but still with three doors.

SJ-Series Suzuki Samurai was introduced to the United States in 1985 for the 1986 model year.

The Suzuki Samurai became intensely popular within the serious 4WD community for its good off-road performance and reliability compared to other 4WDs of the time, outselling the Jeep Wrangler by two to one in 1987.

Suzuki Samurai was sold in Colombia and Venezuela as Chevrolet Suzuki Samurai, assembled in Bogota, Colombia by General Motors Colmotores.

Suzuki Samurai continued for sale outside the United States, with a substantial update in November 1995.

At the 1997 Tokyo Motor Show, Suzuki Samurai presented the all-new Jimny with a much more modern design.

In 2009, Santana Motor of Spain ended its agreement with Suzuki Samurai to make the Canvas Top version, which has not been available since then.

Production of third generation Jimny ceased worldwide in 2018 after 20 years of production, as Suzuki Samurai retooled in preparation of the fourth generation's launch in late 2018.

In 2022, Suzuki Samurai Brazil stopped production of the third generation Jimny at their Catalao plant, due to new regulations which meant they could not use the car's 1.