2017 Honda Jazz may not come to India this year; here is why

Honda's new Jazz was unveiled in Japan a few days ago further fuelling the rumours of its Indian entry. It was reported earlier that Jazz, known as Fit in some international markets, would be launched in India in late 2017. Now the latest buzz suggests Jazz is unlikely to come to India this year.

While Jazz is expected to go on sale in the Japanese market by June, Overdrive claims the car may not come to India this year. Rumour has it that the launch is delayed to make room for new WR-V. Honda's WR-V, the Jazz-based crossover is only a couple of months old in India and the company may not want to distract its sales by bringing in the new Jazz.

The Jazz, in its new avatar, underwent nip and tuck inside out. Jazz has a more pronouncing grille on the front with redesigned bumper and LED headlamps. The fog lamp cluster has also been revised. The side profile of the Jazz remains largely untouched and features newly designed alloy wheels. Changes are minimal at the rear too except for the LED taillamps.

Inside the cabin, while the top-end models get all-black interior, other variants go for dual-tone colour treatment. The hatchback is expected to offer Pedestrian Collision Mitigation Steering System, Collision Mitigation Braking System, Lane Keeping Assist System, Adaptive Cruise Control and Traffic Sign Recognition.

In India, the Jazz is currently offered with a 1.2-litre i-VTEC petrol engine that develops 90bhp with a torque of 110Nm at 4,800rpm and a 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel with 100bhp of power and 200Nm torque. While these engines are likely to be continued, there have also been rumours of a 1.5-litre petrol mill of the City making it to the Jazz. However, nothing has been confirmed so far. The Honda Jazz is pitted against Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Volkswagen Polo and Hyundai Elite i20.