Honda Postpones Launch of New Jazz to 2015

Japanese auto major Honda had earlier said that the company will bring the new version of its premium hatchback Jazz to the Indian market in this fiscal year, but now it looks like the automaker has decided to push its launch back a bit.

The launch of Jazz is being pushed back due to the difficulties in keeping the pace of production of other models of the company, according to a PTI report. For now, Honda's top priority is to meet the overwhelming demands for the current models.

"Last year we announced that within this fiscal year we will come up with Mobilio and Jazz. But the great demand (for other models) is exceeding our expectations. So we started the second shift of our second plant," PTI quoted Hironori Kanayama, President and CEO, Honda Cars India.

Reports of Honda bringing back its once discontinued Jazz hatchback models to the domestic market has been doing the rounds on the Internet for quite some time now and the car was expected to reach the lucrative market by March 2015.

Although it is still not clear how long Honda is planning to hold the launch, Jazz may make its debut in India only by mid-2015.

For Honda, the new Jazz is crucial in the sub-continent market and is also important to get it all right from the start.

The new Jazz will be pegged against Maruti Suzuki Swift, Nissan Micra, Volkswagen Polo and Hyundai i20 in India and is likely to fall in the price range of ₹5 lakh to ₹8 lakh.

The car is expected to be offered in both petrol and diesel engine options and is likely to include features like power steering with mounted audio controls, front and rear power windows, electrically adjustable rear view mirrors and climate control unit.

The petrol Jazz is likely to pack the same 1.2-litre i-VTEC petrol engine that powers Amaze and Brio, which can generate a power of 87bhp, with a torque of 110Nm at 4800rpm, while the diesel Jazz is expected to draw power from a 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel motor that can pump 100PS of power and 200Nm torque.