Honda Jazz to be priced over Rs 5.5 lakhs

Honda’s new hatchback, the Honda Jazz, will be available in the Indian market by end-June 2009.

It is expected to be the most expensive hatchback petrol car with a base price of Rs.5.5 lakh, The Economic Times has reported.

Honda Jazz will be priced over Rs 5.5 lakh

Honda Jazz is equipped with a 1.2-liter engine made specifically for the Indian market to deliver high fuel efficiency in comparison to other cars in its segment.

The car will be pitted against Skoda Fabia, Tata Motors Indigo, Ford Fusion, and the upcoming Maruti Ritz.

The Honda Jazz is more spacious than other premium hatchbacks, and has safety features like ABS, Honda’s G-CON technology, and airbags.

“Jazz will have all the features found in a premium large car. Our survey shows that 80% hatchback customers feel that these cars lack legroom and headroom space which we have addressed in Jazz,” HSCI managing director & CEO Masahiro Takedagawa, was quoted as saying.

“We have designed a special engine for India to optimize fuel efficiency and power, which delayed the launch by one year. Jazz also comes strapped with a toughened suspension to meet stiff roads conditions in India,” he added.

Honda Jazz will be launched on the Honda City platform also featuring V-Tech technology for high fuel efficiency.

The Honda Jazz will also be eligible for the 8% excise duty discount under the definition for government’s small car segment.

“We will try to pass the benefit of lower excise duty on Jazz, but 30% of its components are imported and the weak rupee may lead to a higher price,” Mr Takedagawa said.

The Honda Jazz will be manufactured at Honda’s mother plant in Greater Noida, whose capacity has been increased to 1 lakh units per annum.

The Honda Jazz is avaiable in the international market in three variants, the Honda Jazz GLi, VTi, and the Jazz VTi-S.

Honda will allow its customers a certain level of customization including navigation system, in-car entertainment, sporty tyres and other gizmos at the dealer level.

The Honda Jazz will be initially launched with manual transmission, followed by an automatic transmission version later.

The Economic Times, has cited sources that have said that the diesel version of the Honda Jazz will also be launched by 2011.