Italy: The Suzuki Jimny joins the forestry carabinieri corps

The world's smallest all-terrain vehicle will be patrolling and operating in the Maiella National Park in Abruzzo, Italy.

La Suzuki Jimny dei Carabinieri Forestali

By: Alessandro Lago

Published by: Brian Potter

May 13, 2024 at 5:02am ET

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When the going gets tough, you need real off-roaders. Just like the Suzuki Jimny which, in a world of SUVs and crossovers designed for urban use, has become something of a white fly.

That's why it's no surprise that the Carabinieri Foresteri have chosen the small Japanese 4x4 for the Maiella National Park in Abruzzo, Italy. Four units will be used for surveillance and first aid activities to protect an area covering 75,000 hectares and 39 municipalities.

A blue livery with a special logo

With the Jimny, the Japanese brand had already won the confidence of the Italian army and police in the field. A hundred or so uniformed examples are already on the roads, but the little Japanese car is not yet used for forest protection.

The Suzuki Jimny of the Carabinieri Foresters in the Maiella National Park

The livery, as you can see from the photos, doesn't change much from the traditional Italian Carabinieri livery, except for the logo with the specification "Comando Unità Forestali Ambientali e agroalimentari Carabinieri".

The Suzuki Jimny of the Carabinieri Foresteri, detail of the logo

The car, on the other hand, is the Jimny we all know, now homologated only as an N1 "PRO" truck, with a 102 PS 1.5-litre petrol engine, AWD Allgrip four-wheel drive and equipped by the Totani dealer in L'Aquila for the technical needs of the forestry command, including lighting, flashing beacons and protection.

La Suzuki Jimny des Carabinieri Foresters (2024)

The Suzuki Jimny of the Carabinieri Foresters, detail of the beacons

The handover ceremony at the Abbey

Given their particular use in protecting a national park, the purchase of the vehicles was funded by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security. Suzuki won the tender thanks to the vehicle's off-road specification and its size, which was clearly functional for use in an area where dirt tracks are very small and impermeable.

The Suzuki Jimny of the Carabinieri Foresters, the cockpit

The handover ceremony, which took place in the evocative setting of the Abbazia del Santo Spirito al Morrone, was attended by the President and Managing Director of Suzuki Italia, Massimo Nalli, who commented:

"Suzuki is a multinational, but in Italy we're considered a small brand. 97 out of 100 Italians don't drive a Suzuki. We produce 40,000 cars a year. But those 40,000 Jimnies do a lot because they put into practice what we, like many car manufacturers, always promote in words: the values of the brand."

Massimo Nalli hands over the keys of the Suzuki Jimny to the Carabinieri Forestali

"Our value is to improve the lives of our customers. On this day, we are showing that we are ready to improve life, for the environment and for our lives, and we are proud to be able to contribute to its protection".

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The Japanese manufacturer's number one also joked about the uniqueness of the Suzuki Jimny:

"We're happy for our competitors to get it wrong by abandoning design schemes that are useful in certain situations. We have hybrid technology, we will have electric technology and we have true off-road technology!"