Honda wants to speed up the introduction of the next generation Jazz, which is intended to be sold in more than 100 markets. The 2014 Honda Jazz will get into production starting from July this year at Honda’s new plant situated in Saitama Prefecture. Some markets are familiar with the Jazz nameplate and some markets know it as the Honda Fit. The current generation Jazz has been discontinued from the Indian market as it was not doing well for the company financially as well as lacking a diesel motor, which is a must nowadays for the Indian market.
While the next generation Jazz will be launched this year itself globally, the Indian market will be receiving it early next year with an option of a 1.2-litre i-VTEC petrol motor and the latest 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel engine, which will be seen first on the Honda Amaze. The 2014 Honda Jazz will be built on a new platform with an entirely new design language. The all new platform from Honda will be shared in the future by the next generation Honda City and the upcoming Honda Urban SUV showcased at the 2013 Detroit Motor Show, both the cars are expected to be introduced in 2014.
The next generation Honda Jazz will see heavy localization in most of the markets. In the emerging markets including India, the Japanese automaker is aiming for 90 percent localization level for the 2014 Honda Jazz, which means the car will be priced aggressively in order to take on the segment leaders including the Maruti Suzuki Swift, Hyundai i20 and Volkswagen Polo. Expect the next generation Jazz to launch with a host of convenience as well as high-tech safety features (like Active Braking System). Currently, Honda is waiting to taste success with the first diesel Honda debuting on 11th April, competing head on with the Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire.
