In an era of frantic hybrid fuel technology development, Honda's new Jazz stays true to the company's roots
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Ten years ago Honda was looking at ways to boost the performance image of its top-end Acura range in the United States. The answer, said its dealers, was a V8 engine. Every American knows that.
The then chief executive of American Honda, Koichi Amemiya, wasn't convinced. Honda had earned its considerable reputation on fuel-thrifty, smaller-capacity units with high-tech components. A V8 would compromise the company's DNA.
But the Acura dealers kept pushing - until Amemiya sent one persistent dealer a shipment of V8 vegetable juice. The topic was dropped. There would be no V8.
When the subject of a V8 was raised again in Japan, the other Honda president Takeo Fukui conceded that there was perhaps room for such an engine in the Acura range, despite carmakers drastically cutting back on V8 production in the volatile fuel market.
We can't say when, but when we do it, we will come up with a V8 that's completely different from conventional, past-generation ones, Fukui said.
Different? What does that mean?
The first thing is mileage. It will be the most updated V8, which means it will have to be compact, lightweight, get excellent performance and get good fuel efficiency as well.
As usual, Honda is charting its own course. Like it has with electric cars. It has no interest in them, despite the buzz for emissions-free driving.
Honda's eco-car strategy differs starkly from that of its Japanese rivals, who are lining up joint ventures to produce advanced lithium-ion batteries for mainstream and luxury hybrids and smaller plug-in electric vehicles.
But Honda won't commit to a battery manufacturer. Says Masaaki Kato, the president of Honda research and development: "Our stance is that the use of electric vehicles is limited.
To get the performance of an Accord, in terms of driving range, from today's battery-only drivetrain, we would need to carry two tonnes of batteries. That's no good."
It sees the future of hybrids in inexpensive small cars only. Its biggest hybrid is the Civic - and its hybrids are only going to get smaller. The Insight dedicated hybrid is due in some markets next year, cheaper and smaller than the Civic.
The Insight will be followed by an even smaller sporty hybrid, based on the CR-Z concept. Honda then will go to a new extreme with a hybrid Jazz small car.
Kato says small cars are better-suited to hybrid systems because they are typically used for stop-and-go city driving.
In that way, small cars take full advantage of the hybrid's regenerative braking to recharge the onboard battery.
"We are trying to make hybrid cars mainstream," says Kato, "and the biggest obstacle to that right now is price. Therefore, we are trying to bring the costs down and make hybrids affordable."
Still, Honda's cautious attitude toward electric cars and lithium-ion batteries could relegate it to an also-ran if someone else makes a breakthrough in these technologies, says Michael Wynn-Williams, a Japanese automotive industry analyst at research specialist Global Insight: "Honda could well be at a distinct disadvantage. It offers a lot of models that are designed for the urban environment and so could lose out to the growth in electric vehicles."
Research and development chief Kato is unfazed. Honda has the technological and engineering firepower to roll out almost any vehicle to match the market, be it electric, hybrid, diesel or fuel cell, he says.
And after years of booking record profits, Honda certainly has the money to back it up. The carmaker spent $9.5 billion on research and development last year and plans to boost that to $10 billion this year.
The outlay is more than double that of a decade ago, when a much smaller Honda was debating V8 engines.
Meanwhile, Honda will stick to affordable, fuel-efficient cars, like the second-generation five-door Jazz hatchback it launched on roads between Christchurch and Akaroa the other day and priced between $22,000 and $29,800.
It comes with a choice of 73kW/127Nm 1.3- and 88kW/145Nm 1.5-litre cleaner-burning petrol engines mated to five-speed manual or automatic gearboxes.
Honda claims fuel economy of between 5.8 and 6.7 litres/100km, or 48-42mpg. Both engines are designated E10, meaning they can run on a mix of 10 per cent ethanol and 90 per cent unleaded.
The front-drive Jazz combines new levels of styling, driving dynamics and ride quality, with the packaging, functionality and safety features that have already made the car a worldwide success with sales of more than 2.5 million units since its debut in 2001.
One of the highlights is an improvement on the car's every-which-way seating, a configuration Honda calls Magic Seats.
The arrangement opens up a huge range of loading possibilities in seconds. From tall parcels to a 42-inch television set, the Jazz swallows loads with ease, belying its size. The new three-step door opening and hold positions help here.
The key element in the package is the fuel tank, sitting below the floor in the centre of the vehicle.
This position allowed Honda designers to create a lower floor and maximise the space for occupants and minimise the space required for machinery.
Driver visibility has been improved, thanks to bigger front quarter windows and stronger but narrower A pillar on each side of the windscreen, which has a steeper rake.
Larger wing mirrors also aid rear visibility.
The driver's seat now gets height adjustment across the range.
- Additional reporting, agencies
