Goodbye Honda Jazz, Hello City Hatchback

Here’s the bad news first: Honda Cars Philippines decided to discontinue the sale of its Jazz, the brand’s popular and stylish subcompact hatch as soon as stocks run out. However, the good news is that Honda has launched its all-new Honda City Hatchback. This comes after the introduction of the 5th generation all-new City last October, during the brand’s 30th anniversary of its presence here in the country.

Photo by Honda Cars Philippines Inc.

The addition of the Hatchback version also coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Honda City model in the country as Honda further levels up its presence in the popular B-segment category. It’s also a stylish and worthy contender to fill in the gap left by the Jazz. The Jazz model’s average monthly sales was about 4,000 units, which Honda thinks they can have the new hatchback match or even surpass.

“Last October, HCPI introduced two new models namely the New CR-V and All-New City,” said Masahiko Nakamura, HCPI’s president. “The All-New City has sold more than 1,700 units since its introduction. Today, as you have just witnessed, we are further expanding the City model line-up with the introduction of the All-New City Hatchback. 

“The All-New City Hatchback is Honda’s newest offering in the B-Segment category,” he added. “With its sporty hatchback body styling, advanced technology features and ULTRA versatility, we believe that the City hatch will be a worthy alternative to the iconic Honda Jazz, but moreover, it will be a model that will make its own mark in the automotive landscape.”

Sportier and more spacious 

The all-new City Hatchback offers more cabin room despite having the same 2600mm wheelbase as that of the City sedan. The overall height is 21mm taller but is also 204mm shorter in total length. This creates a shorter overhang and gives the hatchback version a sportier dynamic.

Photo by Honda Cars Philippines Inc.

Inside, the space planners at Honda managed to design a highly flexible cargo and passenger seat layout similar to a subcompact crossover, making this car an ideal choice for work-and-play for its youthful target demographic. The hatchback version uses Honda’s signature Ultra Seats (ULTR) which allows the rear seats to be folded flat or flipped up, giving it the versatility to quickly adapt to a wide variety of passenger lifestyle and cargo hauling needs.

To make the choices simple, Honda PH will only have one variant of the City Hatchback, the RS. It shares some RS design elements together with its sedan sibling, including the front bumper with a high gloss black front grille complemented by full LED headlights and LED Daytime Running Lights, high gloss black rear bumper with a spoiler and at the side. It also comes with matching high gloss black power folding mirrors and 16-inch two-tone Berlina Black aluminum alloy wheels.

Photo by Honda Cars Philippines Inc.

Classier and more fuel-efficient

The interior upholstery is clad with suede and leather seats, black interior trims with red stitching and accents, leather wrapped shift knob and steering wheel with audio controls, front and rear center armrests, sports pedals and multi-information display with red illumination for that added RS feel.

The all-new City Hatchback is powered by Honda’s 1.5-Liter 4 Cylinder DOHC i-VTEC engine that produces a maximum power output of 121ps at 6,600 rpm and 145 Nm of torque at 4,300 rpm. The engine is mated to Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) to ensure a smooth and fuel-efficient performance, but paddle shifters are added in case the driver wants to be playful. Honda’s Eco Assist System, with its ECON mode and Eco-Coaching Ambient Light is still available to help promote fuel-efficient driving.

Photo by Honda Cars Philippines Inc.

The all-new City Hatchback is available in all 38 Honda dealerships nationwide and comes with a suggested retail price of P1.115 million (plus an additional P20,000 for the Platinum White Pearl option). To know more about the City Hatchback, visit the nearest Honda Cars dealership, or access Honda Cars Philippines, Inc.’s official website at www.hondaphil.com.

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