Indian Autos blog

Motorbeam is reporting with images that Honda is testing the 1.5-liter variant of the Jazz in Pune. To not make it obvious for those in the know,the X variant is the donor car. 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  [ Read More ]

If the Alto is India’s favorite hatchback, then the Toyota Innova is India’s beloved MPV. The Toyota baby has captured the Indian psyche like no other MPV. Extraordinarily, it has managed to sell in both commercial and personally owned segments without loosing the charm to either one of them. Many companies have tried their luck in this segment but only M&M has managed make a dent in its sales with  [ Read More ]

The uber expensive hatch of India, may be up for a pleasant change. Honda’s very own Jazz may sit on the top of all super minis when it comes to price, but a lacks a quintessential feature – an Automatic Transmission. Even its closest rival Hyundai i20 comes with this feature. And more importantly, for people who are willing to spend a sedan’s money on a hatch, this feature is  [ Read More ]

By Kaustubh Shinde

The Honda Jazz (a.k.a Fit) is one hatch back that has some awesome amount of space in it. The one complaint that we have in the current model is that the 1.2L engine feels heavily strained when trying to lug that huge body around.

Note that Honda sells the Jazz/Fit with larger engines overseas. The above sentence holds good only for India.

It seems that Honda has finally turned the hearing ear to us. The new Jazz will get a proper 1.5L engine with an electric motor assisting it alongside. A full-electric version of the Fit called the Fit EV is also in the works.

Honda could use the same technique on the other variants. The 1.2-liter engine could work in tandem with the electric motor and make the Jazz more fun to drive. Honda is also working on a tiny diesel engine for its compact hatchbacks and sedans.

Design wise, the car improved on the current looks and not going in for a complete overhaul. It is expected to have a new silver taillights and a new grille treatment as well. Over its lifecycle, the Jazz/Fit has certainly come of age and among the current crop of small cars, it looks unique. The current generation model has received a majestic front end and a mild makeover which expected in India in 2011.

With these interesting additions, and perhaps a diesel engine, Honda can position the Jazz in the future for buyers upgrading from Brio.

The Honda Fit (in some markets called the Jazz) is all set to get a mid life facelift. The Chinese website AutoSohu has showed us the updates that the new Jazz will sport.

Being a mid life facelift, don’t expect anything major. So the chassis and tech specs will be unchanged.

Slight tweaks to the front and the rear bumper give it a much sharper appearance. You can also see dual lines on the bonnet instead of the current single line. Minor changes to the headlamps and the taillamps are also visible along with a generous dollop of chrome all over the car.

The facelift gives the Jazz a slightly more upmarket image. It is safe to say that the Jazz’s mid-life facelift has based itself on the Jazz hybrid. We can expect the Jazz facelift by the end of next year here in India.

Is Honda planning a minivan on the Jazz platform in the US to lock horns with the Prius minivan? – Click here to read more on that.

The commonly held opinion of China’s automotive products being unsafe was safely guarded by the Geely CK1 as it brought more shame to the Chinese motoring industry by scoring “zero stars” in the Latin NCAP safety test. Can the newly acquired Volvo help change things around for the parent company? Click here to read more.

Can the JazzX bring back the sensation of swinging under the backyard tree or traveling through the supermarket on a trolley? Can the JazzX bring back the feel-good sensation for Honda and the Jazz in India?

Honda new advertisement campaign in Australia aims to bring out the big hatch credentials in the Honda Jazz. Four hilarious TV commercials have been made with four different groups of people to help understand the roominess of the Jazz.

The ads talk about people from different walks of life explaining how the Jazz’s high degree of functionality can help store their everyday things. The Jazz appears like the most practical hatchback for almost anyone in Australia.

The marketing campaign also encourages Australians to vote what they can stuff inside the Jazz’s cabin and the most popular nomination wins a Jazz!

If Honda were to create a similar campaign in India, it would be about “how to sell the Jazz.” The leading answer should be “offer a massive discount.”

Did we just help Honda India save a few lakh rupees on advertising?

Just kidding!

If you want to see the other three videos, head over to Popsop.