The Tokyo Auto Salon is an annual showcase of Japan’s best aftermarket works, and always has tons of great builds and aftermarket products. The all new Suzuki Jimny shined as one of the most common models on display this year. Since the Jimny is a beloved cousin to the Suzuki Carry mini truck and Every micro van, we had to check it out! We snapped a pic of every Jimny at the show this year, and pretty much loved all of them! Here they are.
Let’s start right with the factory offerings. Suzuki was going for a hip look this year, with a DJ pumping out tunes as their models showed off each car and truck on display. They had two Jimny’s out, both ready to go off road.
A nautical themed Jimny, complete with recovery hooks and some weird tubes on the roof to hold fishing rods? Not sure about all of that but the bedliner treatment on the bumpers and fender flares looks great, good job Suzuki!
A more tame offering at the Suzuki booth, but this one looks more like the Jimny’s you’d see on the street (Sorry USA). Gotta love that traditional Jimny rhino on the spare tire cover, and those bright red mud flaps! Most of these parts are available in the Jimny parts catalog. You could spec this one out yourself, if you can get your hands on a new Jimny.
This custom ride if from Japanese parts maker JAOS, this Jimny features a lift kit, aftermarket wheels, tires, and more. All of these parts can presumably be found from their parts catalog.
Liberty Walk is best known for their bolted-on fender flares on questionably expensive cars. This year they seemed to be pairing up their booth with aftermarket lighting company Sphere Light. This one didn’t have the craziest fenders but it did have some nice tail lights. Not sure what’s up with that weird lift on the front wheels though.
Okay, it’s not a Jimny but it’s even cooler! This is a Suzuki Every kei van wearing a Jimny mask, and we love it! It’s like a pudgy, stubby, Jimny and probably just as capable. It’s no secret that Suzuki kei trucks and vans have always shared parts with their Jimny brother, this is just strengthening that connection.
The same company that made that Jimny van also put this roof-camper rig together. They also decided to make the Jimny look a bit “aggressive”, that can stay on the Jeep grills if you ask us. Roof campers seemed to be a big item at the show this year. We found dozens of them around the exhibit halls. Makes sense, Japanese people do love to sleep!
It’s taken no time at all for the aftermarket to dress up the Jimny as a mini Mercedes-Benz G-Class, and this is just one of many kits we found this year. The tail lights look pretty close to the real Benz ones, but the overall package is a bit too blingy for a Jimny if you ask us. Either way, it’s definitely looking upmarket from a standard Jimny.
One of a few builds from Pro-staff and Zeal, two popular parts manufacturers in Japan. Their booth was mostly filled with Mercedes G-Wagens but this Jimny took a nice corner spot and really shined. The beefy tires and fenders fit really well together, we like it! (They also had an amazing Suzuki Carry, see more on that in our mini truck blog)
Retro themed kits were also a big trend this year. This one is giving us a strong Land Cruiser vibe, and there’s nothing wrong with that!
These Jimny’s have a new face but don’t be fooled, they’re actually previous gen Jimny’s built and dressed up by some very crafty engineering students.
Another pair of retro-styled Jimny’s whitewalled tires and all. The blue one had a bit of a Land Rover Defender styled front, while the Pink one almost looks like a Toyota FJ40. It seems like the Jimny is just trying to be every other truck but itself!
Another G-Class look alike but this one seems to be the most thorough. It even has the naming right! The rear spare tire cover looks spot on and the whole kit does look really nice even if it is a shameless copy of the G-Wagen. If you’re looking to be a baller and still find parking in Tokyo, this is the whip for you!
Amazingly we only found one Jimny with a model posing in front of it. Apparently the Jimny doesn’t need anything else to garner our attention. Sailor-Jimny did a great job posing in front of this one, which had a strong Land Rover Defender vibe.
We love that old-school Toyota vibe on the graphics. Really, the overall package is great. Not sure why anyone would need to haul their radio flyer like that, but we hope it’s strapped down alright. Watch out for those basketballs!
This is apparently one of the first turbo kits for the Jimny, and it does look pretty sweet. This Jimny actually debuted at SEMA last year. Luckily it popped back up for the Auto Salon so we could check it out again! The info sheet says it makes just over 100hp and just under 100lb-ft of torque. Doesn’t seem like a lot but these trucks are tiny, we’re sure it’s a good time!
Another Jimny featuring the GReddy turbo kit. We like widened fenders and the old-school styled off-road rims. This is a quick and capable Jimny!
This Jimny also seemed to be going for the Land Rover look. It featured some Defender styled fender guards and a fuel-door delete. Save some weight and some time while filling up!
Center exhaust on your Jimny? Why not? They’ve taken styling elements from just about every other car on the market and slapped it onto these trucks so we’ll add this to the list.
Another Jimny trying to be something else. this one seems to be going for that G550 4×4 Squared look. It pulls it off quite well! We’re not so sure about those little hood scoops though. It’s like it’s snorting at us saying “I’m really am a big truck! I am, I am!”
Not all of the Jimny’s were out there to look like Land Rover and G-Classes, this one was all about the Bass. With more stickers than a middle schooler’s skateboard, it’s fitting that it also came with some video games.
All these Jimny’s are trying to be something else! This one wants to be a Defender so bad, it’s even got a British flag on it! It does look cool though. Cellstar is a company that makes drive recorders and radar detectors, so this would be a safe car to cruise around the Shuto Expressway in.
These Jimny’s are basically a hodgepodge of parts from kuruma dot com’s wide catalog. If you’re from America you might be thinking that those headlights are a bit of a no-no, but they’re totally cool here in Japan. We do see all kinds of wild lights on the roads like that. Usually they’re on more exotic cars, but why not a Jimny?
This Jimny does indeed go back to the roots, featuring a throwback front grill that mimics the original Jimny of the 60’s. It also has some retro tail-lights that will help you keep the old charm of getting rear-ended at night since no one can see you. The fake rust “patina” is also a nice touch.
Can’t wait for the new Bronco? Get yourself a Dronco to hold you over! It’s actually a pretty cool looking truck. Seems to use the same Apio body kit as the yellow one above, rocking that 1st gen Jimny grill. We dig the white steelies and the blue/white two tone. Definitely one of our favorites of the show.
Wait, that’s not a Jimny it’s a mutated Honda S660?! Well, yes and no. We spoke with the presenters and they told us that this beast is built on an old Jimny frame. This thing takes the battlecar trend to an absolute extreme, we love it!
Finally, found some bling that would fit right in on those G-class styled Jimny’s. Can’t think of a better named car for some bling than the Hustler though. This would be just as welcome hanging from a big blinged out chain. We might start a new rap group called the Jimny Hustla’s!
