New Jazz interiors revealed ahead of launch

The Honda Jazz  has to be among the most keenly awaited car launches of 2015 and Honda Motors has also released teaser images car prior to its official India debut. Interior pictures of the new Honda Jazz have been posted on the internet prior to its launch. The cabin design and layout of the 2015 Honda Jazz is similar to the Honda City Sedan. The standout feature is the steering mounted paddle shifters which will make the new Honda Jazz the only car in its segment to offer the above feature. The cabin will have a dual tone black and silver finish while the clocks are also inspired from the City. The new Honda Jazz will be offered with steering mounted controls for audio and Bluetooth. Although start-stop button isn’t seen in the spy picture expect it to be offered in the top-end variant. Similar to the Honda City, the new Honda Jazz will also sport a 5-inch on-touch audio system and touch operated HVAC controls while the 15.7 cm Audio-Video-Navigation (AVN) touch-screen infotainment system will be available as on the top-end variant. The touch sensitive climate control system has also been carried from the City on the new Honda Jazz.

The Honda Jazz will be launched on July 8th to cash in on the upcoming festive season. The new Jazz will take on the Hyundai Elite i20, Volkswagen Polo and the upcoming Maruti Suzuki YRA in the premium Hatchback segment. Honda had initially planned the launch of the Jazz in the first quarter of this year but postponed it as the second manufacturing facility in Tapukara was getting up to speed. The new Jazz unlike its predecessors will be priced competitively and will get a diesel engine option too. The car is a mix of the Amaze and the City on the mechanicals front and borrows heavily in terms of interior materials and design from the City. The economies of scale resulting from this parts sharing will help Honda price the Jazz well. 

The Jazz will be a sub-4 metre car and so the smaller 1.2-litre petrol engine from the Brio and Amaze will power it in India that’s good for 88PS. The diesel will be the ever so popular 1.5-litre diesel mill developing 100PS.  5-speed manual gearboxes will be offered for both the petrol and diesel variants and a CVT gearbox will be offered for the petrol Jazz as the automatic option. The picture on Honda Cars India’s Twitter account shows a large spoiler too indicating at a RS variant much like the one offered in the Mobilio. The Jazz RS if introduced will only be a cosmetic upgrade and no performance enhancements.

Hyundai i20 coupe

Hyundai has unveiled a three-door version of its i20 hatchback. The Korean car manufacturer’s new entrant will compete with the likes of Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo in the international markets.

The i20 coupe gets a large hexagonal grille. It is flanked by fog lights to the side, and the LED headlamps have LED daytime running lamps incorporated into them. The front looks more muscular than the current generation i20, while the bonnet and the sides retain Hyundai’s fluidic lines. At the rear, the i20 Coupe gets larger tail lights, and the roofline at the back gets a spoiler. This, and the more raked A, B and C pillars add to the overall sporty look of the coupe. The car also gets 17-inch wheels, which look perfectly well suited for the look of the car.

Despite the roofline being 25 mm lower than the current generation i20, Hyundai says that the headroom, legroom and shoulder space have remained unchanged. In fact, the manufacturer claims that boot space has actually gone up by 10-litres.

For power, Hyundai has unveiled four engine options – two diesel and two petrol. The petrol offerings include the 82.9 bhp, 1248 cc petrol engine and a 98.6 bhp, 1,368 cc petrol engine. 74 bhp, 1,120 cc and 88.8 bhp, 1,396 cc diesel engines are also available. Both the diesel cars come with a six-speed manual transmission, and so does the 1.4-litre diesel engine. The 1.25-litre petrol engine is available with a five-speed manual, and the 1.4-litre petrol is also available with a four-speed automatic transmission. Hyundai may add a new 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine to the range in 2015.

Based on the Elite i20 hatchback sold in our market, the new i20 Coupe will go on sale in the international markets next year. Don't expect Hyundai to launch the three-door i20 in India.

New Mini range restricted to five models

Mini has announced that the range of its new-generation cars will be limited to five models. The announcement came at an event in Munich, Germany when Peter Schwarzenbauer, head of the Mini brand, said that the five-door Mini Clubman to be launched internationally in 2015 will be the third of five models for the brand.

The first two models are the recently launched three-door and five-door hatchbacks, and the fourth model is likely to be a replacement for the Countryman. Although details are not clear on what the fifth model is, reports suggest it could be a soft-top.

Schwarzenbauer also said that the next five years could see plug-in versions of the Mini. On being questioned about the future models in the pipeline, he said, “This is work in progress, but we are continually questioning Mini’s future. We will adjust the brand quite a lot over several years. The heritage will still be important, but we also have to be shaped by the zeitgeist.”