The India-bound Honda Jazz, which is also sold in Australia, has been given a five-star safety rating by the ANCAP (Australian New Car Assessment Program). “The Honda Jazz received a score of 36.58 out of a possible 37, which is a fantastic result” said Honda Australia Director, Stephen Collins.
“The Jazz was also the first vehicle to be tested using data shared with ANCAP’s sister program, ASEAN NCAP in Malaysia.” said Collins. ANCAP recently began sharing crash test data with ASEAN NCAP; both have been working closely for the past few years. The new Jazz scored well in all of ANCAP’s test categories. But, while the Australian Jazz gets safety kit like six airbags and electronic stability control as standard, it needs to be seen how much safety kit will trickle down to the Indian markets.
Honda will be launching the Jazz in India soon, and it will be powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine and a 1.5-litre diesel engine, like the brand’s Amaze sedan. Production of the car has already begun in India, but these are cars that will be exported to other developing markets like South Africa.
With road and vehicle safety gaining significant importance in India too, it is likely that Honda will equip atleast the top trims of the Jazz with considerable safety features (even if not all of them). What seems certain though, is that Honda will bet big on the Jazz’s strengths of space, comfort and practicality, and also load it with more features and fitments this time. It is also expected to be priced very competitively, to take on the likes of the Volkswagen Polo and Hyundai i20.
Suraj Kannan