Steep tag and all that jazz

As the compact car market in city comes alive, cribbing customers say Honda's new baby is too posh to outrun the Swift, i20, Aveo U-VA and the recently launched Ritz

Steep tag and all that jazz

As the compact car market in city comes alive, cribbing customers say Honda's new baby is too posh to outrun the Swift, i20, Aveo U-VA and the recently launched Ritz

Customers who thought the new Honda Jazz could give them an attractively priced alternative to the Swift, the Ritz and the i20 are disappointed.

With an "on road" price of Rs 8.44 lakh, Honda admits it has placed the Jazz in a "segment of its own".u00a0u00a0
"The price is too high. I'm not going to buy it," said Dr Olinda Timms (48), shopping for a small automatic car to drive within the city.u00a0

No comparison

Like many, Dr Timms thought the Jazz was in the same league as the Suzuki Ritz, the Fiat Grande Punto and the Hyundai i20.

While analysts were expecting pricing between Rs 5.5 lakh and 7.5 lakh, Honda chose to price the Jazz between 6.98 lakh and 7.33 lakh.

In Bangalore, that means a "showroom price" of Rs 7.15 lakh. Add the taxes and other levies, and you'll end up paying 8.44 lakh to drive the beast home.u00a0

R Geetha, sales manager at Honda Whitefield, admits some customers had expected a lower price. "But after seeing the product, they are impressed," she told MiD DAY.

The Jazz, she believes, is not meant to compete with the Swift or the Aveo U-VA.

Premium features

The Honda Jazz boasts premium features such as an anti-lock braking system, an emergency break assist, more power and more brake horsepower than most B segment cars, she said.u00a0

"It's in a segment of its own," she said, explaining that the Jazz is somewhere between a hatchback and a small car.
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Umesh Patil (24) came to the showroom with his entire family to shop for a new car. They were surprised by the price of the Jazz.

"It's comfortable and the quality is there, but the price is a little higher than we thought it would be," said Umesh, who works with customer service at IBM. He would have liked a lower-priced basic model.

Out of reach

Geetha says the "response is very good" despite the perception that the Jazz is pricing itself out of the B segment customer's reach. She already has 20 bookings.

'It brings different customers, people we didn't see at Honda before," she said. "People think about the i20, then come and see the Jazz. The price is a little higher, but it comes to their mind."u00a0

Automobile expert M R

Indresh also thinks the Jazz addresses a niche market. He would put it in the same category as the top-end Skoda Fabia.u00a0

"Yes, the price is higher than expected. Those who are ready to pay for the quality will go for this vehicle," he told MiD DAY.

Second car

He believes the Jazz is not for the first-car buyer, but would appeal to the business executive looking for a second car.u00a0u00a0

Diehard Honda fans, on the other hand, are delighted. "The price is very reasonable," said Arshad Hossfayan, 32, an operation manager in a BPO company.

"The brand actually speaks. I'm a Honda lover," he said, before driving away in his Honda City.u00a0u00a0

Geetha says the three Honda showrooms in Bangalore together expect to sell between 150 and 200 units of the Jazzu00a0 in a month.u00a0

So how much does it cost?
Honda Jazz - Rs 5.5 to 7.5 lakh
Skoda Fabia - Rs 5.58 to 7.86 lakh
Hyundai i20 - Rs 5.57 to 6.64 lakh
Fiat Grande Puntou00a0- Rs 5 to 6 lakh
Maruti's Ritz - Rs 3.88 to 4.93 lakh