The basic idea of the Jazz EV is to meet to meet the daily driving needs of a family within the city. As you can see from the picture, the Honda EV is made to look very futuristic with LED headlamps, a new bumper and some EV decals on the side. But the subtle traces of Jazz are still live and kicking.

For now, the Honda EV is still pretty much in concept stage. But when it goes to production, it will be powered by a lithium-ion battery and coaxial electric motor. It will have the same motor that is doing its duties in the FCX Clarity which means it is a ‘Plug-in’ EV and not powered by hydrogen fuel cells like the Honda Insight.

The EV will have a driving range of 100 miles per charge and a top speed of 90 mph. Driving range can be maximized by use of an innovative 3-mode electric drive system- ECON, NORMAL, and SPORT – adapted from the Honda CR-Z sporty hybrid.

In order to maximize the driving range, a special meter display will advice the driver when to shut off air conditioning and other accessories to conserve battery power.

To locate the nearest charging point, the EV will be equipped with a standard Honda Satellite Linked Navigation System™. It can be fully charged in less than 12 hours when using a conventional 120-volt outlet, and less than six hours when using a 240-volt outlet.

So what you guys think about the Honda EV?

The news sounds even better when you know that this little sedan is not offered in a diesel option and its competitors have diesel variant. In a market where diesel is cheaper than petrol and gains advantage every now and then with a petrol price hike, a petrol car outselling the diesel rivals certainly talks volumes of Honda’s brand pull.

Just when we thought the news couldn’t get any better, we had a look at the Jazz’s sales figures and we were surprised to know that the Jazz sold 600 units in August. The last time we saw Jazz selling 600 odd units was way back in September 2010. Since then the sales of the Jazz were always below par, languishing at the bottom with the Chevrolet Aveo U-VA.

The reason for the decline in sales was pretty obvious – an extraordinary high price tag. However, like all Honda products, the Jazz had immense potential with its huge interior space, clever seats and fabulous fit and finish. However, the high price tag made sure that this car only attracted a very nice crowd.

Come August 2011, Honda announced the new Jazz with some minor exterior and interior changes. Surprisingly, the date of launch was chosen as 18th august – the very next day of the Swift launch. But little did expect that Honda was actually planning an assault on Maruti’s little baby. Honda India slashed the prices of Jazz by over 1.75 lakh. The new Jazz was launched at an attractive price of just 5.5 lakhs. This puts the car bang in the middle of competition.

Of course, 600 units is a very small number compared to the rivals who sell anywhere between 4000-12,000 units. But it is an effective start nonetheless. In the next month, the Jazz needs to cross 4 digit sales for Honda’s efforts to be truly rewarded.

Next month is going to be very critical for Honda Siel because the Jazz needs to climb to the top of list for B+ petrol hatchbacks in India. The product certainly has the capability, now it’s all in the hands of the dealers.

Do you think the Honda Jazz will be able to outsell Swift petrol?

The Jazz has almost been down segmented and will piggyback on the Honda brand image in India.

Can these two hatchbacks rewrite the segment basics yet again? Will a petrol hatch buyer invariably drive home a Jazz and a diesel lover will not think twice before opting for a Swift? Is waiting period the only grouse in the buying process?

The other indication from the Jazz pricing is the Brio could be priced starting at just over 4 lakh rupees. Can Honda price the Brio from 3.99 lakh rupees?

[Maruti Suzuki studio shots from facebook.com/marutisuzukiswift; Honda Jazz studio shots downloaded from facebook.com/HondaCarIndia

The car won a lot of admirers but apart from the Honda badge and the confidence that comes with it, there was nothing the competition didn’t offer.

Recently Honda, in a stock clearance sale, slashed prices of the Jazz by more than 1.5 lac so that the old car could make way for the new one. The operation was successful as it did take more than a week for the stagnating cars to vanish from showroom yards.

At the press conference today Honda representatives mentioned that they are in a state of recovery from the Japanese quakes that took lives and wiped out installations in early March. It could take them a few months for reaching normal production levels. Honda said it’s ‘better than before but not normal’.

With the new Jazz, Honda has achieved a considerable cost reduction. The car’s now 76% localized, one of the reasons why price levels have fallen by over a lakh. More than localization, it is Honda’s realization that the competition is mounting the pressure with spacious, safe, fuel efficient and more capable products.

The launch of the history-making Swift yesterday was another worry for Honda as the rising fuel cost and interest rates did not prevent over 50k people from booking one.

Apart from the new features and cosmetic changes Honda has worked on making the car more refined. Honda says they had ‘Man Maximum Machine Minimum’ as one of their motives during the facelift project.

Honda representatives also announced that the sub-5 lac rupee Brio is around the corner. On being questioned about a diesel we got a jittery answer that a diesel is in its initial stage of development and can take a couple of years to land in the market. Both Brio and Jazz are likely to be strapped with the same diesel engine in late 2013.

With prices of select variants clashing with the new Swift and i20, there’s hardly anyone who will disagree that sales will remain low. But will the lack of diesel engine hurt Honda given almost 7/10 and rising customers in this segment are opting for one?

You can see some of the images captured at the launch by heading to our Honda Jazz launch live images post

Honda Jazz Facelift Brochure

Honda Jazz Select Features Image Gallery

Honda Jazz X Features Image Gallery

Honda Jazz Safety Features Image Gallery

Priced starting at 5.5 lakh rupees, the Jazz will pull petrol customers from Toyota, Maruti and Hyundai. Since a diesel engine is still out of reach, the extent of the demolition Honda Jazz will manage will be limited.

Left – Jazz Select and S variant get beige interiors; Right X variants gets a black and blue.

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Honda Jazz facelift Image Gallery

The Jazz facelift will sport new headlight and taillight design, new black front grille, new bonnet and front bumpers. The interiors will see a change of dashboard colors along with some chrome rings on AC vents. Overall, it is not a major departure from the current Jazz but a mid life facelift.

The engine will be the same 1.2-liter i-VTEC unit churning out 90 PS but it will be tuned to give better fuel economy. There are rumors that Honda India has localized quite a few components for the new Jazz. So expect the prices to be rationalized.

An anonymous IndianAutosBlog.com reader has tipped us on the variants and features of the Jazz facelift.

Honda Jazz facelift colors – Black, white, silver, rallye red and urban titanium metallic.

Our sources have told us not to expect a major price drop. The Jazz will still be priced on the higher side.

Stay tuned as IAB will get you all the action from the Jazz’s launch.

Honda Jazz facelift Image Gallery

The new Honda Jazz is a minor facelift. People who’ve recently bought the Jazz have nothing to worry about as this is a cosmetically updated product.

The new Jazz comes with redesigned bumpers said to reduce air drag, new grille and headlights, rear lights with modified lenses and a choice of 2 new exterior colors – Deep Sapphire Blue and Ionized Bronze.

Inside, the new Jazz sports a darker color scheme, new seat fabrics (leather upholstery is optional), chromed trim pieces and orange dash lighting. Suspension was also worked on by engineers.

As Honda sold the current 1.2L engine at a high price we do not expect a 1.5L or an automatic transmission though many people who have bought the car have complained of it being underpowered. The same 1.2L i-VTEC engine will perform duties on the Jazz facelift.

Honda Jazz facelift Image Gallery

Honda surely has felt the heat by pricing the car close to 9 lakh rupees. It has been working hard to localize the Jazz to as much as 90% and depend less on imported parts which increases the final price. The price of the facelifted Jazz is expected to be a bit higher than the recently discounted price otherwise we would see more cars in Honda showrooms and stock yards than on roads.

This 1.5-liter VTEC engine comes from the City producing 118PS power at 6,600RPM and 146Nm of torque at 4,800RPM. As a result, the acceleration improves, with 0-100kph coming up in 9 seconds and the top speed going beyond 180kph.

As Motorbeam points out, this move could be prompted by the introduction of the VW Polo 1.6, Skoda Fabia 1.6 and high powered variants of the Fiat Punto and Indica Vista. These models point out that there is a market for fast hatchbacks in India.

The 1.5-liter Honda Jazz could return up to 12kmpl in the city and 15kmpl on the highway. An AT variant is also expected.

When we quizzed a higher official at Honda SIEL on the Jazz 1.5 back in June 2010, this is what we got -

The 1.5-liter Honda Jazz makes no sense for India. The enthusiasts may like such a vehicle. If we increase the displacement, the product cost as well as the excise duties will go up. The A/T model overseas is coupled to bigger engines, like the 1.3 or 1.5-liter engine. The Indian model, quite possibly the only one, comes with a 1.2-liter engine and the volumes are low.

We aren’t very sure if a company can change its mind in eight months. True, the competition is piling up bigger and more powerful hatchbacks by the day and there is an enthusiast group willing to overlook fuel economy and pay an extra buck or two to procure a fast car. Given this condition, Honda could hope that a powerful engine with automatic transmission could revive sales of the Jazz in India.

Images sourced from Motorbeam.com