Honda Malaysia has opened the order books for the new Jazz at all authorized dealerships in the country. The car is expected to hit showrooms sometime in the second quarter of this year followed by the Sport Hybrid variant, which is slated for launch in the third quarter of the year.
The Jazz was first introduced to Malaysian customers in 2003 and since then, the nameplate has sold more than 77,700 cars in the country. More than half of the sales were for the third generation car, which was introduced in 2014. Honda has managed to sell 4,400 cars from January to April of this year accounting for 13% of total revenue for the Japanese automaker in Malaysia.
And with the launch of the new car, Honda plans on continuing this sales momentum for the next few years. Honda says that the new car was developed after taking into consideration customer needs and feedback. As such, the new car is said to appeal to people of all ages who require practicality, versatility and attractive modern design. It will have a new chrome front grille, new front and rear bumper design, dual tone colour alloy wheels and LED DRLs.
The petrol powered car will have teh same 1.5-litre i-VTEC engine that is mated to a CVT gearbox that was developed under the company’s Earth Dreams Technology division. The Hybrid variant on the other hand, will be fitted with a new 1.5-litre DOHC i-VTEC powerplant that is fitted with a 7-speed dual clutch transmission that is integrated with an electric motor. The system will improve efficiency, drivability and regenerative energy that was offered by the previous Jazz. Power output for the Hybrid Jazz is rated at 135bhp which is about the same as what you would’ get from higher displacement conventional engines.
The Lithium-ion battery pack, called the Intelligent Power Unit (IPU), has a higher capacity than that in the previous generation car and offers better performance. It has been under the boot floor and is able to offer 1.5 times the energy capacity of its predecessor while still managing to be lighter and more compact in size.
The Smart Entry and Push Start ignition systems will be fitted as standard on all Jazz variants. There’s also half-leather seats and a reverse camera system that will also be made available to customers. And like other Honda models, the Jazz will be loaded with safety tech that include, Brake Assist (BA), Anti-Braking System (ABS), Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Emergency Stop Signal (ESS) and Hill Start Assist (HSA) as well as 6 Airbags and ISO Fix.
So, if you are in the market for a new car and if the Jazz has caught your eye, visit any authorized Honda dealer for details or visit the automaker’s local site to learn more about the car.
