Honda Jazz Hybrid at RM94,800

KUALA LUMPUR: Honda Malaysia has launched the country’s most affordable petrol/electric hybrid car - the Jazz Hybrid - at an on-the-road with insurance price of RM94,800.

Based on the sporty-looking Jazz five-door hatchback, the Jazz Hybrid uses a 1.3-litre i-VTEC petrol engine with 88bhp coupled to a 14hp Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) electric motor, a system similar to that used by the Honda Insight hybrid model.

It also comes with a continuously variable transmission system to deliver smooth driving and frugal fuel consumption.

The stylish vehicle promises 25% to 30% lower fuel consumption compared to a non-hybrid 1.5-litre Jazz variant while offering similar performance.

The Jazz Hybrid’s can travel 21.3km on a litre of petrol.

Jazz Hybrid gets front and rear bumpers which are redesigned to be 3% more aerodynamic compared to the regular Jazz variant.

In addition, the Jazz Hybrid also has low rolling resistance tyres and low drag brake calipers to improve fuel economy.

Additionally, drivers can activate the ECON driving mode for achieving the best fuel economy.

The Jazz Hybrid is fitted with a large chrome grille, LED tail lights in clear housing, chrome rear licence plate garnish and hybrid badging to differentiate it from non-hybrid variants.

It retains key features of the Jazz line-up such as Ultra Seats, paddle shifters and a spacious boot space.

The IMA battery pack and Intelligent Power Unit (IPU) have been integrated under the boot floor area where the non-hybrid variant keeps its spare tyre.

With this arrangement, the Jazz Hybrid does not have a spare tyre and uses an emergency repair and inflator kit to fix punctures.

Other features include six airbags, hill-start assist, anti-lock braking system, vehicle stability assist, brake assist, cruise control and 15-inch wheels.

The instrument panel now gets hybrid power usage display.

The hybrid is available in Fresh Lime Metallic, Alabaster Silver, Milano Red, Crystal Black Pearl and Taffeta White.

Honda Malaysia managing director and chief executive officer Yoichiro Ueno said the company was targeting to sell 3,000 units of the Jazz Hybrid this year.

He also said the company was looking to sell a total of 10,000 units of hybrid cars this year of which 7,000 units would be contributed by the Insight and CR-Z models.

“We will continue to introduce more new hybrid models to excite Malaysians,” he added.

The Jazz Hybrid comes with a 5-year/140,000km warranty for IMA battery which is the same with the Insight and CR-Z models.

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