All new Honda Jazz Goes Premium

The premium 2nd Generation Honda Jazz , recently made its grand entry into the Malaysia market with an exclusive fashion presentation created jointly by Malaysia’s top fashion designers and stylist Melinda Looi, Jonathan Cheng, Khoon Hooi and Cris Yong .Present to launch the event were Mr Fumihiko Ike -President & Chief Executive Officer,Asian Honda Motor Co.Ltd ; Mr Atsushi Fujimoto-Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Honda Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. ; Mr Kohei Hitomi - Chief Engineer and Large Project of the All-New Jazz ;Mr. Azman Idris, President & Chief Operating Officer of Honda Malaysia Sdn. Bhd ; and Ms Daphne Chen Sook Yen-Project Leader of the All-New Jazz,Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

Since its first introduction in 2001, the 1st Generation Jazz has immediately won over fans from around the world as an unconventional car that exceeds customers’ expectations of a compact car in terms of its stylish design, reliability, practicality, fuel efficiency and drivability. The global Honda model made an impressive cumulative sale of 2.3 million units worldwide with Japan and the Asia & Oceania region accounting for half of its sales. In fact, it opened a new 5-door hatchback segment in the Asia and Oceania region’s automotive markets, and bagged numerous awards from acclaimed research houses and automotive media in Europe, South Africa, Japan and Southeast Asia.

In his speech at the unconventional launch of All-New Jazz ,Mr. Atsushi Fujimoto, Honda Malaysia Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer said “ The 2nd Generation Jazz is fitted with newly enhanced 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine and it has also adopted the class-leading and well-received elements from its first generation and improves on them .He believed"The All-New Jazz will continue to appeal to both female and male, aged 25 to 39 years old, determined young singles and families who seek to be discerned and unconventional, and yet enjoy a car that is highly practical and reliable.

According to Mr. Fumihiko Ike, President & Chief Executive Officer of Asian Honda Motor Co. Ltd in Thailand, the All-New Jazz maintained its number one market position in Japan for the ninth consecutive month in July 2008 since its introduction in October last year. Its cumulative sale in Japan alone has achieved more than 140,000 units as of July this year, which surpassed the sales record of the 1st Generation Jazz. It also received Japan’s “Car of the Year” award, making history by winning the same prize as the first generation model. “Based on these successes as well as strong acceptance of the 1st Generation Jazz in Malaysia, Honda believes that the All-New Jazz will deliver even greater joy to our customers here in Malaysia,” expressed Mr. Ike.

Meanwhile Mr. Kohei Hitomi, Chief Engineer from Honda R&D in Japan, whose team took the demanding task of developing the 2nd Generation Jazz, explained that the development concept was focused on three areas: to develop a model that can be placed in the centre of compact car category; to offer strong product competitiveness; and to deliver new values to customers. The result is a premium and class-leading compact 5-door hatchback with further improved and evolved ‘DNA’ from the 1st Generation Jazz, which includes its design, utility, drivability and fuel consumption.

In within the Asia & Oceania region, the All-New Jazz has already launched in Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore with notable sales record. On July this year, three months following the launch in March, the bookings of All-New Jazz in Thailand have reached an encouraging 10,000 units.

Key highlights of the 2nd Generation Jazz include the dynamic exterior styling with advanced super forward form -that enhances the aerodynamic and energetic appearance of the car,spacious and comfortable cabin that is equivalent to an average medium-sized sedan and extended and larger wind shield which provides better visibility for the driver.All these features were made possible with the front pillar of the All-New Jazz been removed to the forward section thus creating exhilarated effects on both exterior styling and interior comfort. Ingenious layout inside the 2nd Generation Jazz which provides three ULTRA Seat modes -the Utility, Long and Tall modes also enable car owners to load objects of different sizes into the car thus enhancing the practicality of the car.



In term of performance ,the All-New Honda Jazz offers the most powerful engine in its class as it is powered by Honda’s newly enhanced 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine, with a power output of 120 PS at 6600 rpm,offering a maximum torque of 14.8kg-m at 4,800 rpm.In order to achieve unparalleled driving performance and fuel efficiency, a class-first 5-speed Automatic Transmission (5AT) with DBW (Drive-by-Wire acceleration control) was adopted.It is also equipped with Grade Logic Control that enhances drive ,reduces gear hunting and provides faster acceleration.Smooth and more agile performance in the new Jazz was further enhanced with the Shift Hold Control,a system that adjusts computerised transmission, preventing over transmission that results in low acceleration and speed.Overall the aerodyamic Jazz with its is redefined body to reduce air resistance has boasted an improve fuel efficiency of 24km per litre on a test drive .New suspension and highly fortified body with lightweight structure were implemented on the new Jazz to achieve comfortable ride with lower noise and vibration .

On top of that, the new Jazz is imbued with Honda's G-Force Control Technology,an advanced safety feature that emphasized on three safety aspects-the Collision safety body, Occupant restraint system and Pedestrian injury reduction to effectively absorbs spreads and disperse collision impact during a crash by limiting cabin intrusion so as to effectively minimise driver and passengers as well as pedestrian injuries.Additional safety features include 3-point ELR safety belts,Superior braking systems-ABS (Anti -Lock Braking System) ,EBD (Electronics Brake-Force Distribution) and BA (Brake Assist),Dual SRS Airbags and Immobilizer and Security alarm.

In Malaysia,the all new Jazz is available in four colours: the Cerulean Blue Metallic, Alabaster Silver Metallic, Taffeta White and Crystal Black Pearl(available on November) and it comes in two variants with the New Jazz Grade S edition retails at RM 104,800, while the Grade V edition with additional features such as dual mode paddle shifts, cruise control, steering wheel audio controls, retractable door mirror with turn light, 16-inch alloy wheels and sporty exterior fittings is retailed at RM109,800 OTR with insurance. Modulo accessories package ( worth RM3,000) exclusively for Grade V variant is also available now .All variants have been designed to meet the EURO 4 emission level.



In conjunction of the launch the first 300 customers of the All-New Jazz will be rewarded with an exclusive polo t-shirts as Honda Malaysia has commissioned three famous designers, Khoon Hooi, Melinda Looi and Jonathan Cheng to design 300 pieces of polo t-shirts. Each piece will have its own unique design. For more information and test drive on the the All-New Jazz please call Honda Toll Free number at 1-800-88-2020 or kindly log on to http://www.defyconvention.com.my/.