Honda has launched the India made Jazz in South Africa. Details of the petrol engines are out and the new Jazz is expected to launch in June in India.
Honda has commenced production of the 2015 Jazz in India but the launch will happen in June because the Japanese automaker has launched the India made Honda Jazz in South Africa with 1.2-litre and 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engines. Seems like Honda has taken the “Make In India” project seriously, putting the Jazz launch on hold in our country and exporting it first to the other markets. Considering the immense competition in the premium hatchback segment, Honda should hurry the launch of the Jazz in India which they delayed due to production constraints (although they are still manufacturing the Jazz and exporting it).
The third generation Honda Jazz is a big leap over its predecessor. It comes with a host of styling changes while maintaining the same silhouette. The interiors are in line with the current gen Hondas (City) and come with a long list of bells and whistles. The vehicle will come with a 7-inch touch screen, navigation, push button engine start/stop, Bluetooth connectivity and more. While South Africa gets only petrol engine options, the Indian market will get the much awaited 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel engine.
What we’ll miss in the new Honda Jazz is the powerful 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol motor, which is only meant for exports. Instead, the Honda Jazz will come with a 1.2-litre unit with the option of an automatic CVT transmission. The 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder i-VTEC produces 90 PS of power with 110 Nm torque, mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. 0-100 km/hr sprint is achieved in 13.40 seconds with a top speed of 175 km/hr and claimed fuel efficiency of 17.8 km/l.
The Honda Jazz with 1.2-litre i-VTEC CVT takes 14.30 seconds to reach 100 km/hr from standstill with a top speed of 174 km/hr and fuel mileage of 17.84 km/l. The CVT transmission comes with steering mounted paddle shifts, cruise control and hill start assist. The 1.5-litre petrol churns out 120 PS with 145 Nm, doing 0-100 km/hr in 9.9 seconds. It has a top speed of 180 km/hr and returns a claimed fuel efficiency of 16.6 km/l. The 1.5-litre i-VTEC CVT does 0-100 km/hr in 10.6 seconds and returns 17.2 km/l.
Details of the 1.5-litre i-DTEC powered Honda Jazz are yet to be announced but we believe it will be available with the same performance figures producing 100 PS of power with 200 Nm of torque. Fuel efficiency is likely to be upwards of 26 km/l. Since the new Jazz is being localised heavily, Honda will ensure an aggressive pricing of the vehicle, considering its bumpy first innings in the Indian market. It is being manufactured at Honda’s new facility in Tapukara, Rajasthan. The Honda Jazz will compete against the Maruti Swift, Hyundai Elite i20, Volkswagen Polo, Tata Bolt and Fiat Punto Evo.
Source – GaadiWaadi on Twitter
