Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) is betting big on its new BS-VI Jazz to lure first time buyers. While car makers are launching SUVs to revive a market that is on a tailspin, Honda is relying on its premium hatchback to tap first time buyers.

“The Jazz was up for a model changeover with the BS-VI regimen kicking in. We were caught up in the midst of a BS-VI change when the lockdown happened. So, we launched the BS-VI Jazz now and are hoping that it will attract first-time buyers as past sales data shows that 22 per cent of the Jazz buyers were first-time car buyers,” said Rajesh Goel, senior vice-president and director, sales and marketing, HCIL.

The premium hatch is priced at Rs 7.5 lakh (base model). “The customers are a mix of young and old people. About 95 per cent of the Jazz buyers opted for the petrol model (under the BS-IV regime), 32 per cent of the buyers are women and for 45 per cent of the buyers, the Jazz was an additional car,” said Goel.

The Japanese manufacturer is offering the electric sunroof in its top range of Jazz, which is a first in the segment and hopes that it will pull customers in the Covid era.

“People are scared of closed space in these Covid times The sunroof is a much sought after feature in cars for Indian customers. We are hoping that in such times, the sunroof will pull even more customers,” said Goel.

Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India Pvt Limited made an entry into the 180-200cc category of motorbikes with the launch of the Hornet 2.0.

The Japanese company is going in for a big portfolio expansion before the festive season with new models in new segments, Atsushi Ogata, managing director, president and CEO of HMSI, said at the launch of the Hornet on Thursday.

THE TELEGRAPH