Honda’s Jazz Yatra

All New Design, Estimated Rs. 5-6 Lakh price, Hybrid motor a future option.
Jazz will come to India after the next generation city and will compete with the fabia
The big small hatch from Honda, the new Jazz is almost ready for its global launch at this month's Tokyo Motor Show. Stated for full scale production in India in late-2008, this large size hatchback shares its running gear and platform with the next generation city. And as anyone who knows the Honda City can vouch for this hatchback will set a new standard for space and comfort in the class. Considerably larger on the outside compared to cars like the Hyundai Getz and the Chevrolet UV A the new version is expected to be even larger on the inside. The new car, according to a leaked brochure, will be 20mm wider and 50 mm longer than the current car which of course could point to a more than through update of the current car.

As can be seen from the illustration and picture, Honda had decided to maintain the identity of its successful hatch - almost two million Jazz and Fits the Japanese version have been sold internationally and Honda obviously want to keep that goodwill going.

The overall windscreen if anything looks even more raked than the current car. The headlamps are very striking and Honda has added a sporty central ridge to the bonnet. These features give the nose of the car a very aggressive wedge like shape that is sure to be well appreciated.

Viewed from the side, it's the bulging wheel arches you notice first. The curved roof, the rising waistline and the ellipsoid glass area are other striking features of this not so shy design. The multilayered rear of the Jazz is however, more traditional with its scooped out area for the number plate and bottom heavy look..

The jazz and the new city will share the same running gear but the engines may vary to take advantage of the small car norms, Honda may slot a sub 1200 cc engine into the pretty sharp angular lines and a rising waistline give the new Jazz a tipped forward, ready for action look. nose of the Jazz. There's not too much information on the choice of engines but we expect an all-new 16 valve motor to replace the current twinspark i-DSI motor.

With Hondas current global strategy. Massing a return to more traditional strengths of the brand, the new Jazz will also be provided with new version. An even sportier-looking body will be used for this car and it widget larger wheels, bigger tyres and disc brakes all around. A very Exciting 120 bps version of Jazz of the 1.5 VTEC motor could be an option in the future and this would give the relatively light Jazz fantastic performance.

Honda, basically, is so confident of the economy of its small-capacity petrol motor that the company management has categorically stated that there will be no diesel version of the Jazz: A hybrid version, however, could be possibility as long as costs and localisation targets are met.

Like every car the company sells in India currently, the Jazz's interiors are likely to be classy and attractive. A quick peek at the Japanese version or the Jazz shows how far evolved from the current car the insides are. The design of the dash itself is swoop and curvy. Blending elements from the Accord and the Civic, the Juzz uses a high-mounted central console piece. A medium size display screen is offset. The steering wheel is identical to the civic sold here, with three sporty, deep-set dials used on the RS

version shown here. Other standout features of this car are likely to be the flat floor, due to the centrally- mounted fuel tank, the seats that can be flipped all the way forward and slid forwards and back for flexibility between luggage and passenger space.

The Jazz will go into production late 2008 but this could spill over into 2009 if production capacity is not enhanced by then As ever, pricing will be crucial, so expect a wide range for the models and variants.