Honda Siel Cars India could be launching the spruced up next generation Jazz as its first offering in the small car segment in India. The car which would be rolled out from Honda’s upcoming plant in Rajasthan will compete with the likes of Hyundai Getz and Maruti Swift.
“It has been our policy to revamp our existing products every 4-5 years to fit in improved and modern technology and work on the next generation Jazz is on. We have not zeroed in on the product that we will launch as our entry into the B segment here but Jazz is an option we would look at,” Honda Siel Cars India president and CEO Masahiro Takedagawa said.
The five door hatchback car was launched as “Fit” in Japan in June 2001 and has four engine variants from Honda’s L series. The new car is readied for a global launch at the end of this year while the company’s small car in India would be launched in 2009. The new car could be the one with the 1.2 litre engine and a marginally shorter length of 3.8 mm.
“The decision to enter the small car segment was based on the trends in the market which indicate that aided by the excise concessions announced last year, the B segment is set to witness high growth. Our small car in India will be a global product that will have a presence all over the world,” Takedagawa added.
Meanwhile, the company will continue refreshing its existing models and Takedagawa hinted that the new City will take a longer time than expected. “Right now we are concentrating on the Jazz and our new plant but we will continue to upgrade our models every year. We do not have any concrete plans or a timeline for the next generation City but it will happen only after the Jazz is ready,” he said.
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