Launched on July 8, Honda’s new Jazz seems to have already struck a chord with customers. The carmaker sold 6,676 units of the Jazz through July, making it the highest-selling car for the company that month.
However, Honda is facing a capacity crunch at both its Tapukara and Greater Noida manufacturing facilities; both units are running two shifts, and have reached full capacity. To match the demand for the new Jazz, the carmaker has begun juggling production at these plants.
A few months ago, sister publication Autocar Professional, had reported on the likelihood of the Brio hatchback or the Mobilio MPV’s production being brought down to bump up the Jazz's production. It is now believed that the carmaker has already brought down production of the Mobilio by 5-10 percent, at Tapukara, to make space for the Jazz. Though the MPV is produced at the Greater Noida plant, any cut in its volumes is adjusted against the Amaze sedan which is manufactured at both these facilities. Thus, production numbers of the Amaze are spiked up at Greater Noida and juggled at Tapukara to make way for the new Jazz. This is also one of the factors that has affected the sales of the Amaze — down in July to 4,589 units from the 6,834 units in June.
The new Jazz currently has a waiting period of 1-2 months and Jnaneswar Sen, Senior Vice President – Marketing and Sales, told Autocar Professional that the sales for the petrol variant stand at 60 percent, with diesels contributing to the rest. The CVT edition of the Jazz has raked in sales of 25 percent.
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