Honda will launch the updated model of its Jazz premium hatchback around 2020. The company has already started testing the new updated model of its premium hatchback offering in market. A test mule of the Honda car was spotted testing in Germany and the spy-shots for the same are doing rounds on the internet now. A marked change spotted in the new version of Jazz is the bigger size of the test mule.
Honda will probably bring the Jazz in a hybrid format in the western markets. As far as India is concerned, there are hopes that the Japanese brand will launch the premium hatchback with a mild-hybrid setup this time around. The Indian launch is also expected to come sooner rather than later amid Honda’s plans to launch 6 new cars in India by 2020. Also, there are chances that with the upcoming BS-VI norms in mind, the Japanese company may do away with the diesel engine version of the upcoming Jazz altogether. Jazz sales numbers in India tells that customers favor the car’s petrol model over the diesel one even as Jazz remains a distant third on sales charts amid Maruti Baleno and the Hyundai Elite i20 dominance in the market.
As the upcoming BS-VI norms will make the production of diesel cars a lot costlier as compared to the petrol models, it makes financial sense for the Japanese company to do away with the option of diesel altogether. The demand for Honda Jazz in taxi markets and self-drive/leasing services is almost non-existent and the customer base of the Japanese premium hatchback is mainly private customers. Private customers generally prefer petrol cars and will do more so increasingly as the new norms make diesel cars even more expensive. Therefore, Honda Jazz may not come with the diesel engine option once the updated model of the car is released in the Indian market.
What the company instead thinks is more sensible is bringing a hybrid option for the Jazz premium hatchback in India, and in the same spirit the Japanese maker will first launch the mild-hybrid model of the car. Something similar to what Maruti Ciaz currently offers in sedan segment. The increased fuel efficiency numbers of Jazz with mild-hybrid option will not only attract more customers to the car, it will also help the Japanese automaker test the market about the response to hybrid Jazz. This will also take care of the emission worries as bigger mileage figures mean lesser emissions, hence creating a win-win situation for Honda.
Jazz has always been known to offer a lot of interior space in the segment and the bigger sized test mules indicate that the newer model could be even bigger. Thereby making the upcoming version of Jazz the biggest ever. As far as features are concerned, the Japanese automaker will equip the new model of Jazz with improved features and more kit. Standard upgrades to safety and the infotainment system are also likely, and as for now only the coming leaks will reveal more details about the next generation Honda Jazz.