The new Honda Jazz launches the electrification strategy of the Japanese company

We are talking about the fourth generation of Jazz, the familiar compact Japanese, available up to the last generation also in the variant with heat engine with regard to the non-European markets. Waiting for the specific of the new version, the previous one has a gasoline 1.3 naturally aspirated 102 HP.

Within the Jazz range there is also a crossover version, called "Crosstar". It will also be available with a hybrid engine and have the same internal features as the standard version. The Crosstar has a greater height above the ground, a different design of the front grille, waterproof fabrics and will be equipped with integrated roof rails.

The new Jazz has the task of introducing into the market the advantages of hybrid technology, as far as Honda is concerned, and of accelerating the goal of the Japanese House to electrify the most important models of the range by 2022. The new Jazz will also be the first model of Honda in Europe to provide the special logo "E: HEV". First example of a broader brand strategy that will distinguish, in the future, all the electrified products of the Japanese House under the name "E: Technology".

The new generation Jazz uses solutions from infotainment intuitive based on integrated WiFi hotspot. The new screen interface a LED touchscreen allows, among other things, to activate the function of smartphone mirroring, thanks to the systems Android Auto is Apple CarPlay, for the first time available on the new Jazz through a wireless connection.

As for security solutions, Honda Sensing will be renewed by the application of a camera with wide field of view and in HD, which replaces the previous series of cameras and radars. According to Honda's intentions, this solution will improve the vision of the environmental context around the car. The impact reduction braking system (CMBS) it was improved with the addition of night-time operation, which detects pedestrians and cyclists even in the absence of street lighting and operates the brakes if vehicles are detected within the route taken by the car. The new camera system also integrates theAdaptive Cruise Control (ACC) to follow the traffic even at low speed and in congested conditions by applying the lane maintenance system (LKAS).

The new design inspired by the minimalism, as already seen also in the case of Honda e. The choice of essential and seamless lines will increasingly define the future models of Honda, in accordance with the concepts of design and functionality already introduced by Honda and. Specifically, the front pillar is half the width of that of the previous generation, thus improving on-road visibility. The thin profile of the upright made possible by a greater torsional rigidity and by new structural technologies that shift the force towards the headlights and door pillars.

The sides, designed to descend cleanly and vertically, also provide greater prominence to the rear bumper and wheel arches. Honda has also revised the interior, so as to offer a marked continuity with the cleaning of the external lines, thanks to the presence of a dashboard without disturbing elements. The new front seats, wider and with the function of further stabilizing the bodywork, are equipped with a support with a mat structure, which replaces the previous spring configuration, avoiding fatigue on long journeys. Furthermore, the design of the front pillar improves the horizontal visibility of the driver and passengers.

Despite the size of the hybrid engine, the space design It has been carefully designed to make the space on board abundant even in the new Jazz, as in the previous versions. The components of the hybrid engine are inserted in the frame and inside the engine compartment. The key to maximizing the space of the passenger compartment is the positioning of the fuel tank in the center of the frame, below the front seats.

Sales of the new Honda Jazz in Europe will have starting from the middle of 2020.