Honda Siel rolls out new Jazz at Rs 5.5 lakh

Honda Siel Cars India (HSCI) today launched refreshed premium hatchback, ‘Jazz’, priced lower than its existing model, at Rs 5.5 lakh to Rs 6.06 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

This A2 segment car, powered by a 1.2 litre petrol engine, gives a mileage of 16.7 kmpl.

“Honda Brio which starts production next month will, bring considerable economies of scope and scale to our operations as Jazz and Brio use the same engine. This combined with our supply chain efficiencies, R&D effort and manufacturing efficiencies will considerably bring down cost,” said Mr Jnaneswar Sen, Senior Vice-President (Sales and Marketing).

“The new Jazz is 76 per cent localised. With Brio our localisation level will be over 80 per cent,” he added.

The company at present utilises 60 per cent of the 100,000 cars capacity of its Noida plant.

“The company faced severe supply-side crunch owing to the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Till last financial year we were selling nearly 500 Jazz per month, but the figure almost halved during April-June 2011, owing to the crises,” said Mr Sen.

“We hope to get back to our original sales number in next three months,” he added.

The new Jazz has three variants and is available in five different colours. It will be sold across 80 cities and 120 dealerships.

The existing ‘Jazz’, which was launched in 2009, was priced between Rs 7.12 lakh and Rs 7.56 lakh. Other cars in the segment include: Maruti Swift, Hyundai i20, Volkswagon Polo and Skoda Fabia.

The new Honda Brio revealed

The Japanese carmaker that is still the benchmark in affordable luxury in India, burnt its hands with its first small car Jazz two years ago. But it is back, with a smaller, meaner and more importantly a cheaper product, what would be its second small car-the Brio. To be launched on September 27, India would only be the second market for the car but pose the biggest challenge in its global run.

We don’t know the pricing of the car yet, neither do we know how many variants it will have (my guess is 3). So lets broadly look at what we know about the car.

Exteriors
Honda cars have a way of appearing small than what they actually are but even then the Brio is a really really small car….and looks even more so. Among its competitors (wift, Polo, Liva and i20) it is by far the shortest has the least width and is taller than only the Polo.

Headlamp and grille
All the elements also point towards how small the car is. It has a short chrome grille with the honda logo emblazoned on it takes up almost the entire space and even the almond shaped headlamps are large in context but small in comparison.

Tail lamps
This is a sort of a neglected area in small cars almost as if manufacturers get bored by the time they make it to the back. Which is ironic, because these are small cars after all and hence there is less real estate to design.

The Brio’s tail lamps however, are one of its more striking features. The traingular cluster fits in neatly at the rear corner of the car. It gels so well with the car that if it would not glow, you may even miss its presence.

Boot lid
Which brings us to the boot lid, which I am sure would be a talking point. The Brio does not have a conventional boot lid and its hatch is comprised of just the large glass that goes all the way up. As such the frame is high which is not quite a good thing for loading-unloading, but the unconventional lid sure gives the car a character.

Alloys
We know for a fact that the car will not get alloys as standard but the ones that are there on the top end variants are pretty basic to look at. Surely, the Swift’s alloys have set the benchmark here.

Interiors
The dash board and the instrument cluster are basic and minimalist but it not a design harakiri on the lines of the Liva. The puritans may be repelled by the evident cost cutting measures employed here, but it still is very functional. It has a two tone black and white instrument panel and no bluetooth. But the 2 din music system offers USB connectivity.

There is enough space for knick knacks and 4 bottle holders that can hold full size bottles. The glovebox however is small and lacks a chiller (unlike Liva).

Rear leg room
Space at the back is very good for 2 adults despite its small dimensions. What helps is that enough attention is paid to the ease of entry and exit at the back. The rear doors are unnaturally small compared to the front, but it does not hamper movement that much.

Engine
The most powerful in its class. The 1.2 litre Ivtec engine is the same that powers the much bigger Jazz. It belts out 88 bhp with a corresponding torque of 109 NM. Considering that the car is small and also light, this is a very compelling powertrain.

Boot space
At 175 litres, Brio’s achilles heel. Honda hopes India would quit its bad habit of travelling heavy and young families will take a liking to its other facets. The high loading position mentioned above also means accesing that boot is not an easy exercise. Not a disappointment that way, but a little more space would not hurt.

Fuel economy
Its small, its light, and it has a big heart, surely its frugal too. In Thailand which is Brio’s first market, it is sold as an eco car that means it boasts of an economy of 20 kmpl. In India the engine is retuned sliglhltly to make it more revv happy and hence economy is slightly lower at 18.4 kmpl. It is lower than the new Swift but not by much.

Verdict
Jury is out now, and the judgement is awaited. My hunch is, prices would start at Rs 3.99 lakh or maybe even lower. The top end with ABS and airbags should come at around 4.6 lakh ex showroom. Anything more, and I would root for the Jazz instead. Now that it costs only Rs 5.5 lakh (ex shopwroom with airbags, ABS) I already am.

Honda Brio Hatchback launch scheduled for 27th September, 2011!

Honda Brio Hatchback

Honda’s price warrior and volumes puller, the Brio Hatchback, is all set to be launched in India on the 27th of Sepetember, 2011, just ahead of the Indian festive season which kicks off in early October. India is the second market in which the Honda Brio Hatchback will be launched, after the Thai market, in which it was launched earlier this year.

First showcased at the 2010 Indian Auto Expo, the Honda Brio will finally become a reality after more than 18 months after it was first unveiled to great interest amongst the Indian car buying populace. However, a lot of things have changed from the 2010 Indian Auto Expo to now.

The Indian car market, which saw some giddying sales highs in the later part of 2010 and until the middle of 2011 in currently in the midst of a slowdown. Hence, the focus will be of affordability and fuel economy, both factors which the Honda Brio is said to pack in.

Honda Brio Hatchback

Honda has looked at increased localzation to bring the Brio’s price down to the all important 4 Lakh mark for the base variant. Also, Honda has been open in making a shift in its usual strategy of offering cars loaded with safety features. In the Brio, the base variant will come only with ABS, thus dispensing with airbags to sit at a more affordable price tag.

Also. the Brio’s gear ratios have been suitably altered for squeezing out more fuel economy from the 1.2 Liter i-VTEC engine, which is the most powerful and torquey in its class.The car also comes with beige interiors, which usually are a major draw amongst Indian car buyers despite beige interiors being tough to maintain.

At a price point in the whereabouts of INR 4 Lakhs, the Honda badge on the bonnet is expected to be a major allure for first time car buyers, who until the arrival of the Brio wouldn’t have been able to afford Honda’s other higher priced products. Therefore, the Honda Brio Hatchback holds tremendous potential for Brand Honda in India.