Siddharth wonders if the new Honda Jazz can topple the king of its segment – the Hyundai i20? It’s a battle that he’s relishing... The car that set the benchmark, but didn’t sell – that perhaps is the best way to encapsulate the fortunes of the last Jazz. We first got the Jazz in its second generation in June 2009. At the time, the Indian consumer was very price conscious and while there was an aspiration setting in for better products, sticker price still governed most decisions. Interestingly, the first generation Hyundai i20 launched six months before the Jazz, and was a slow mover in terms of sales. The month after the Jazz launched, i20 sales almost tripled. The reason quite simply is that the Jazz was the car that compelled the Indian consumer to recognise the value of a truly premium hatch. Up until then we had very few large hatches. And while the Maruti Swift may have been termed as a premium hatch, it was really too compact to create the segment I’m talking about. So what the Jazz did was to allow the sedan-obsessed Indian mind-set to consider a hatch as something other than just a car that you bought because you couldn’t afford a sedan! The Jazz was roomy, well appointed, efficient and had good material quality. It also had a large boot and some innovative features like its magic seats (rear seats that fold multiple ways to allow you different kinds of storage options). People liked what they saw – but, yes, the Jazz was overpriced. Even Honda knew it was, which is why when the car was at the end of its lifecycle Honda offered huge discounts and let it drive into the sunset. It, therefore, makes me very happy indeed that the Indian market for passenger cars is now starting to get closer to mature market levels. I’m not simply referring to the wide array of products now on offer from carmakers. I am instead referring to the buyer. The fact that the Indian consumer is aware, interested and demanding is no longer news – but within that I find the additional aspect of practicality and aspiration playing a large role – as one, and not as two distinct parallels. So now you have a car like the second-generation i20 that came out in 2014 that has learnt everything about that consumer and arrived with just the right package. It came very close to beating the Audi A3 as our NDTV Car of the Year. The car is not cheap – and sells most of its over 10,000 units per month at the upper end of its variants. This is a distinct shift from the consumer who saw the hatchback as a compromise and solely looked for the lowest sticker price. Now the hatchback represents lifestyle and style. And that’s great, since it means people are being more practical while still demanding the good things in life. The fact that Mercedes-Benz could carve a small niche for itself with the A and B-Class is also testament to this change, though at a very different price point. So where am I going with this? The Jazz that returns now is almost like the vindicated warrior. It’s the banished prince returning to claim his crown – being welcomed with open arms by his people, all clamouring for his coronation. The question now is this – is the crown prince up for the task? A lot has changed for Honda since 2009. It now sells the Brio, Amaze and a remarkably different City. It has phased out the Accord, Civic and barely sells any CR-Vs. It is the country’s number three carmaker, and while the brand still carries some premium over others, it is more mass than ever before. And that is where the irony lies. Just as Honda has understood what works in the Indian market, understood how to keep costs low, and taken that understanding into product development – the market has started to move higher up the value scale. The new i20 is a vastly more premium product than its predecessor. The 3rd generation Jazz that we’re getting now has that benchmark to beat. We’ve driven the car, and it definitely impresses on many fronts – efficient engines, good driveability, decent ground clearance, segment-best cabin & boot space, and some USPs like the touch-panel climate control and a CVT variant. But it also has obviously cheaper plastics, a deliberate skew towards efficiency instead of performance and less comfortable seats. But it is armed with enough ammunition to make an impact. Besides price though, Honda must also figure out how to make enough of them. It’s already stretched on the City and Amaze – despite having its new plant in Rajasthan now up and running. So can the Jazz topple the i20? It’ll be an interesting battle – and I certainly hope there’s enough traction for the CVT variant to compel Hyundai to finally bring us a good automatic gearbox. It’s a battle that I’m going to watch most keenly. May the best warrior win...
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