TOKYO, JAPAN - Once regarded as an innovative and arguably class-leading supermini hatch, Honda’s Jazz has faded in appeal in recent years, with the third generation having failed to move the game forward to a sufficient degree.
But now it looks like the Jazz is getting its groove on again, with the release of the fourth-generation model, which Honda has just ‘teased’ ahead of its world premiere at the Tokyo Motor Show next week Wednesday, October 23.
Its overall proportions appear to follow a similar formula to today’s Jazz, with an MPV-like cab-forward design that maximises interior room, but the details appear sharper, particularly at the front, but also at the back, where the current car’s vertical tail lamps make way for more conventional looking horizontal units.
Honda says the new Jazz was redesigned with “the passenger at its heart” and that it “will raise the bar in terms of comfort and driver enjoyment.” So Honda is trying to keep everyone happy, in other words.
In terms of powertrains, the Jazz will become the first car in its class to be fitted exclusively with a two-motor hybrid powertrain in Europe. It’s likely, however, that other markets with less stringent CO2 laws will also receive an assortment of Honda’s conventional VTEC petrol motors.
There is no word on a performance variant as yet, but Honda could certainly create some fireworks with a new ‘Sport’ model powered by the 1.5-litre turbopetrol engine found in the Civic and CR-V.
Watch this space for the full reveal next Wednesday.