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Honda Jazz Hybrid: Prius C rival here in December

HONDA JAZZ
By Tim Beissmann
FIND DEALS

Honda Australia will fire the next shot in the hybrid war with Toyota when it introduces the Honda Jazz Hybrid in December.

The Jazz Hybrid will give Honda a direct rival for the city-sized Toyota Prius C, which went on sale in March from $23,990, usurping the $29,990 Honda Insight to take the title of Australia’s cheapest hybrid.

Honda Australia director Stephen Collins says he is not interested in entering a “price war” with Toyota and says making the Jazz Hybrid the cheapest petrol-electric vehicle on the market is not the primary goal. Regardless, he is hopeful Honda Australia’s fourth hybrid – following the Civic, Insight and CR-Z – will be priced below $25,000 when it launches in the coming months.

“It depends on a few things, but I think for a Jazz light car [sub-$25,000 is] pretty much in the ballpark of where you’ve got to be,” Collins told CarAdvice.

“We’re not setting out to have the cheapest hybrid. The key for us is making sure the Jazz Hybrid offers good value for money. We’ll make it as competitive as we can, we’ll spec it well, we’ll price it as good as we can, and ultimately the market determines where it goes from there.”

The Honda Jazz Hybrid teams a 65kW/121Nm 1.3-litre petrol engine with a 10kW/78Nm electric motor for a combined output of 75kW of power and 199Nm of torque. A continuously variable transmission sends drive to the front wheels, helping the Jazz Hybrid accelerate from 0-100km/h in 12.1 seconds.

According to the European combined test cycle, the Jazz Hybrid uses 4.5 litres of fuel per 100km, making it 22 per cent more fuel efficient than the conventional non-hybrid 1.3-litre Jazz GLi, but still 15 per cent thirstier than the Prius C at 3.9L/100km.

Honda will be hoping its Jazz Hybrid can mirror the success of the Toyota Prius C, which has become the top-selling compact hybrid in the country over the past three months. A total of 652 Prius C hatches have been delivered so far this year, putting it ahead of the Lexus CT200h (633), the standard Prius (443), the CR-Z (147) and the Insight (124).


 

  • Hilda

    Not a huge fan of that fluoro lime paint.

  • D4D

    Is this made in Japan or made in Thailand?

    • Kazuo

      I think it will b made in Japan. Seen this in Japan 3years ago

  • Kampfer

    Shame on Honda only plans to bring it in now. It is available over sea years ago, way before Prius C. No wonder Honda is going downhill in Australia.

  • bruzzer

    honda just dont get it do they, they are becoming very stubborn.
    asking more money for a hybrid which looks the same as a normal jazz, 0-100 in 12 sec, a car that is already 3-4 years old and doesnt even match fuel economy with the prius C.

    toyotas are selling over 600 so far… i doubt they will reach 100 in the first 3 months.

  • hayski

    Wow. Premium car from Lexus outsells cheaper Insight 5:1. I wonder if Honda Australia will again blame it on the Thailand floods…..

  • Pauly

    Honda Australia are still not getting it!

    They say they are not looking to compete on price, yet that is the exact reason why their cars no longer sell.

    Get your head out of the clouds Honda Australia. Not being competitive on price will get you no where.

  • theillestlife

    been out for ages, had one back in 2010 whilst on holiday in sri-lanka.

  • Darryl

    In the UK for example this is priced only slightly less than the Insight, and $3000 less than CR-Z. So the Insight should really be $25k and CR-Z $27-$28k. C’mon Honda, get real and you’ll do way better than the pathetic sales figures above.

    • Pauly

      I agree mate,

      Charging 35K to 40K for the CR-Z is criminal! They see it as a Lexus CT200H competitor when it is nothing like it.

      Insight at $24,990 and CR-Z at $27,990 would go a long way in getting some more sales on the chart.

      The reason Honda use the IMA Setup is to make the car cheaper. So I dont get how they can justify making it cost more then the Prius C when the whole point of IMA is to make it cheaper then Toyota HSD.

  • Lbrinsmead

    People would buy this for environmental reasons rather than primarily to reduce fuel costs, because it would take about ten years to recover the price difference between the hybrid and standard VTi.

  • Rightindicator

    Honda should treat Australia as a big market for RHD vehicles. Jazz Hybrid should have been here ages ago to compete and seed the market for future demand. They should bring the Honda Jazz Shuttle to compete with the Skoda Fabia Wagon. There is still a market for small wagons…

  • farquaad

    Too little too late from Honda. The company that peaked in the 90s.

  • TG

    Honda need to make a proper hybrid system not the ½ job harry effort they currently utilise.

    • Pauly

      There is a place for Honda’s IMA.

      The whole purpose to the IMA setup is that its cheap. Therefore the cars that use the IMA setup get similar performance to Toyota’s HSD, but at a cheaper price.

      The problem is that Honda Australia dont see it this way, and still charge a premium for it.

      Jazz Hybrid, Insight, Civic Hybrid and CR-Z should all be below $33,000

  • Al

    It’s ugly as hell and too expensive. Ugly cars have a bad resale value. 

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Rob-Cope/1449727134 Rob Cope

    Agree that lime-green is ugly. And, yes, as in Honda dealer yesterday, not willing to have flex on pricing.  Maybe, they need new managerial views?

  • Mr Frobisher

    Honda… Hyundai have overtaken you and now that Toyota is spooked by the Koreans has declared a price war.  All I have to say is good luck Honda, you are going to need it.

  • Marion

    HONDA AUSTRALIA – WAKE-UP.   IT SEEMS TO ME THAT CAR FIRMS GO THROUGH PERIODS WHEN THEY ARE IN AND OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE CONSUMER.       MAZDA AND JAGUAR AND OTHERS SUCH AS NICHE COMPANYS LIKE LOTUS HAVE DONE IT.    BUT OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS IN AUSTRALIA AND NZ HONDA SEEM TO BE MAKING A BIRD OF IT ON THEIR OWN IN BOTH AREAS.     THERE IS TOO MUCH PROCRASTINATION AND DELAY AND THEIR PRODUCT RANGE IS SIMPLY TOO PRICEY AND THE RANGE IS NOT WANT PEOPLE WANT TO BE FORCE-FED AND AT A HIGH PRICE.      OUT OF REALITY PRICING  ( AND EXPENSIVE SERVICING = EVERY 10KMS) AND A POOR FOCUS IN WHAT THE MARKET WANTS AND WHAT RANGE TO SELL  WILL DRIVE THINGS FURTHER DOWN HILL FOR THEM.  HONDA IS OUT OF TOUCH AND THE BEAN COUNTERS THERE SHOULD MAKE WAY FOR THE NEW BROOM OF MODELS AND NEW STAFF WHO NOW HOW TO TURN THINGS AROUND RATHER THAT THE GROWING FUNERAL PYRE STARTING TO HEAT UP FOR THEM WHICH WILL TAKE YEARS TO TURN AROUND THE CONSUMER. MARION

  • JamesB

    Last time I checked, Australia is a first-world country. So why do some cars get here right before being replaced with new models elsewhere? The previous Camry Hybrid, Kuga and now this are examples.

  • Lon_dizzydick

    Jazz hybrid are made in Thailand not Japan.

    It costs aud$24375 (฿780,000)

    Sadly for jazz in Thailand, we only have 2 airbags, not 6, no stability control.

    If it was to sell in aus for $24000. It would be pretty good considering shipping from Thailand, importing taxes, 6 airbags & stability control.

    Honda claims to get 22km/h. But I managed to get 12km/h. Mostly stuck in bkk traffic.