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Thursday, Jun 11, 2009
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Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Thursday, Jun 11, 2009 ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version | Audio | Blogs |
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Cars Marketing - New Products & Services Honda’s Jazz is here sporting a Rs 6.98-lakh price tag 
Jazzing it up: Mr Masahiro Takedagawa, President and CEO, Honda Siel Cars India Ltd,at the launch of ‘Jazz’, in the Capital on Thursday. — Our Bureau New Delhi, June 10 Japanese premium car maker Honda Motor Co has finally entered the country’s competitive compact car segment with the launch of its hatchback Jazz. In keeping with the words of the company’s Chairman, Mr Satoshi Aoki, “Honda likes small cars with Honda-like characteristics,” the car has been positioned in the premium segment. This is the first model from Honda Siel Cars India, the joint venture between Honda and Siel Group, which comes with a 1.2 litre petrol engine. Built on the same platform of its City, pricing of the Jazz hatchback is also close to its entry level sedan. Jazz will cost from Rs 6.98 lakh to 7.33 lakh for the top end model. (The base model of the City costs Rs 7.81 lakh ex-showroom Delhi.) The Jazz promises a mileage of 16.1 km per litre according to standards set by the Automotive Research Association of India and will be compliant to Euro IV emission norms. The model will compete with Skoda Fabia and Hyundai i-20, which also fall in the upper premium compact car segment. Honda hopes the new model along with its sedan City will boost its volumes in the current year when the auto industry has been going through tough times. It expects to sell 2,000-2,500 units a month. “Till now we were present in the segment which is 20 per cent of the market. With the launch of Jazz, we are entering into the segment which is 80 per cent of the Indian car market,” said Mr Masahiro Takedagawa, President and CEO of Honda Siel Cars India, at the launch. He said that he expected the Jazz to create a new segment targeting sporty and young buyers. When asked the reason for pricing its hatchback so closely to its sedan City, Mr Takedagawa said, “We want to challenge the notion that a sedan is superior to a hatchback.” The company did not provide any projections on its sales growth. But hinted at a double digit growth. Last year, it sold 55,000 units. It has increased capacity to one lakh units at Greater Noida. In addition, the company also has a second plant in Rajasthan whose assembly operations have been deferred subsequent to decline in sales. “We are focusing on operating our Greater Noida plant at full capacity. Depending on the market conditions, the second plant will start assembly operations,” said Mr Jnaneswar Sen, Vice President, Marketing, of the company. Honda will launch a cheaper and smaller model than Jazz on a completely new platform in 2-3 years. Honda Siel to unveil small car Jazz by 2009 Honda Siel plans second small car Honda’s compact car Jazz launch likely by 2009 end More Stories on : Cars | New Products & Services
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