As hatchbacks all over the world, especially in the Indian passenger vehicle market, continue to witness a fall in sales volume, auto manufacturers now seem to be getting cold feet as far as launching new hatchbacks is concerned. In fact, many automakers have or are in the process of pulling the plug on existing hatchbacks.
Earlier last month, Nissan officially discontinued the Datsun brand in India. Datsun sold Go and Redi-GO hatchbacks. Volkswagen has pulled the plug on Polo from India. A recent report published in The Economic Times says that Honda is likely to discontinue Jazz from the country next year.
Honda to discontinue Jazz?
This comes at a time when Honda’s presence in India has been inconspicuous with no significant launches in almost two years. The Japanese brand will soon be launching a hybrid version of its mid-size sedan called City e:HEV in the next few weeks. The company has reaffirmed every now and then that it has no intentions of quitting India and has plans to introduce new models in future.
Jazz competes against other premium hatchbacks like Maruti Baleno, Hyundai i20, Toyota Glanza and Tata Altroz. Discontinuation of Jazz will further narrow Honda’s lineup in India. Recent years have seen multiple models have been discontinued by Honda, including Accord, CR-V, BR-V and Civic. The carmaker shut down its Noida-based plant in late 2020.
Decline in Hatchback sales
The report further mentions that the rise in demand for SUVs has led to the dismal state of other body styles in the country. In the recently concluded fiscal year (FY2022), SUVs turned out to be the highest-selling segment in the country. Number of models in the hatchback segment has come down to about 19 at the end of FY22 from about 31 at the end of FY17.
Majority of buyers in the hatchback segment (around 91 percent) belong to Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, or Tata Motors. Moreover, the share of hatchbacks has come down from half to one-third of the market in the last five years. Market share of sedans has halved from 18 percent to about 8-9 percent in the same timeframe while UVs has grown from 25 percent to almost 50 percent.
In the previous fiscal, Honda managed to sell less than 6,000 units of Jazz, averaging about 493 units per month. In comparison, Baleno delivers monthly sales of about 15k units while i20 and Altroz deliver about 5k per month each.
Honda offers Jazz in three trims: V, VX, and ZX priced between Rs 7.78 lakh and Rs 10.09 lakh (ex-showroom). The premium hatchback is offered with a 1.2-litre petrol engine only that kicks out 89 bhp and 110 Nm of peak torque. This unit is paired with either a 5-speed manual or a 7-step CVT automatic gearbox.
The premium hatch is decently equipped with features like a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, LED headlamps and fog lamps, auto climate control, a sunroof, cruise control and paddle shifters (for AT). Standard safety features on offer consist of dual front airbags, rear parking sensors, and ABS with EBD.
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