Suzuki Jimny dual-cab ute imagined

The ute market as we know it: The Ranger and Hilux have a stranglehold on the top two sales spots, a bunch of other utes sell in huge numbers, and dual-cabs are everywhere from mines to school runs.

More are on the way, too, like the Kia Tasman and the GWM Cannon Alpha and BYD's plug-in hybrid ute. So the manufacturers, at least, believe the market isn’t saturated yet.

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Suzuki's Jimny imagined with a Gladiator-style ute body | Theottle [↗] | Video [↗]

Why not imagine some more, then?

To kick off a compact ute market in Australia, our mate Theottle has imagined a Suzuki-badged entry into this crowded category - a kind of ‘Gladiator Junior’ based on the loveable Jimny.

The Gladiator is a bit much sometimes, based as it is on the hardcore Wrangler. So Theottle’s renders show how a smaller, more manageable, Gladiator-style dual-cab based on the Jimny could be designed.

Theo's most obvious tweak is the addition of a tray back, comprised of all new sheet metal, which looks to be in the order of a metre or so long. Jimnys have the entire tail light modules mounted in the rear bumper, meaning that Theottle’s chosen design would also have to be developed from scratch.

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Suzuki's Jimny imagined with a Gladiator-style ute body | Theottle [↗] | Video [↗]

Moving forward, not only is all sheet metal to the rear of the doors new, but the rear doors are also revised, thanks to the rear wheels moving back to extend the wheelbase and keep the rear overhang in check.

The Jimny’s rear quarter lights have been removed and a solid near-vertical c-pillar features, channelling Land Cruiser 70-Series utes.

Everything forward of the B-pillar is unchanged from the Jimny wagons. Theottle’s ute revises quite a lot of the Jimny wagon’s body-in-white and delivers a visually balanced design.

Would you be interested in a Jimny Dual Cab?

Let us know in the comments below.