Hatchback car segment has been a popular choice among Indian customers. Primarily, the reason being - Low cost of ownership, easy to maintain and ideal for space starved city zones. It has also been noticed that the market for premium hatchbacks in India have witnessed a growth in competition in comparison to the past few years with the launch of several new models. Some of the popular ones like Volkswagen Polo and Hyundai i20 have been going strong for a long time now which is also joined by the likes of Fiat Punto and Toyota Etios Liva. Experts however believe that neither Punto nor Etios Liva is likely to overthrow either Polo or i20 in India. However, the launch of an updated Honda Jazz is going to generate tremendous excitement in the premium hatchback segment.
After a poor two-year period, Japanese car maker Honda has managed to claim a foothold in India and become a mass vehicle seller. Compact sedan Amaze, City sedan and multi-purpose vehicle Mobilio have turned the heat on against competitors to rake up excellent sales figures. The launch of Jazz cannot come at a better time in India, given Honda’s position and momentum. Reports regarding the launch of new Jazz have been surfacing but nothing concrete has come up yet. A report by Autocar India suggested that Honda will wait till June to introduce Jazz hatchback.
The earlier version of Jazz, which was discontinued in India, had several things going wrong for it, right from its price to the marketing strategy. One of the biggest reasons why Jazz could not do well in India was the lack of a diesel version, something Honda will be changing this time around. Honda, a few years back, was seen as a brand just for the elite but the launch of Amaze has changed that scenario completely, which will certainly help Jazz.
Honda Jazz is expected to be available in both diesel and petrol versions that will be powered by 1.5-litre and 1.2-litre engines, respectively. Also, Honda is going to add a large number of features in order to outdo competitors and Hyundai i20 in particular. The upcoming hatchback is also expected to be offered at a lucrative price tag.
