DAMD turns the 2018 Suzuki Jimny into the 'Little D' mini Defender

IT HASN’T taken long for chop shops and tuners around the globe to focus their attention to Suzuki’s pint-sized off-roader.

Japanese tuner DAMD Inc. has unveiled a styling kit that has shapeshifted the Jimny into a mini Land Rover Defender, and they’ve aptly called it ‘Little D’.

Distinct Defender horizontal bars replace the Jimny’s vertical slats, while the number of headlight dimples has doubled from two to four. Mud flaps, off-road-specific rubber and a redesigned front bumper/skid plate complete the makeover.

Other than placing the images side by side for comparison, specific information is scarce, but it’s a cool-looking ride nonetheless.

That number plate – S90HUE – is special too, as it is the plate adorned to the two-millionth Land Rover Defender ever built. That Defender was built at Land Rover’s Solihull plant and purchased at auction in 2015 for US$600,000. The plate is also a fitting tribute to the first pre-production Land Rover (HUE166).

The fourth-gen Jimny will arrive locally toward the end of 2018 and is slated for release early in the New Year, with a compelling price tag expected. Speaking to WhichCar.com.au earlier this year, Michael Pachota, general manager of Suzuki Australia’s automobile division, said: “We’ll have the full range under $30,000”.

In September, the Jimny was handed an underwhelming Euro NCAP crash-test rating of three out of five stars.