Interview with Daisuke Uragami, Assistant Large Project Leader of the third-generation Honda Jazz

Interview with Daisuke Uragami, Assistant Large Project Leader of the third-generation Honda Jazz

The recently-launched third-generation Honda Jazz has already captured the imagination of the Malaysian public, and with good reason – sporty new looks, a cabin that’s as spacious and as flexible as ever, a fuel efficient engine and drivetrain package and competitive pricing and specifications.

Do read our comprehensive launch coverage of the new supermini, browse our gallery of the optional Modulo and Mugen aerokits and check out our preview drive report if you haven’t already.

Of course, as detailed as these may be, there is still much that can be learnt about the new car that cannot be gleaned from poring over a brochure. Honda Malaysia arranged an interview with Assistant Large Project Leader for the new Honda Jazz, Daisuke Uragami, for us to ask our most burning questions regarding the latest B-segment fighter.

Honda Jazz Malaysia Launch- 10

The new Jazz looks much sportier than the friendly-looking previous generation, both inside and out. Why was such a drastic change in styling made, and how has the new look been received by customers so far?

If you recall, the first- and second-generation Jazz had bigger headlights, which made them look cuter. Those models were primarily designed for the Japanese market in mind, but for the third-generation model we wanted to expand its appeal to cater for broader markets. The feedback from global studies suggested that the previous faces were actually too cute and feminine, so we gave the new Jazz a more masculine image.

When we first introduced the new model in Japan last year, we were a little afraid that we would alienate traditional buyers, particularly females and the older generation. However, we were surprised that we have been able to sell over 200,000 units so far in Japan, and the feedback from the customers in Japan has also been very good.

Higher-end models of the Jazz get touch controls for both the infotainment system and the climate controls. Were there any concerns regarding the functionality and the safety of such controls, and what has Honda done to address these issues?

In terms of the layout of the infotainment controls, we moved all the main buttons to the right-hand side closer to the driver, so you can operate them even without looking at them while driving. The audio controls on the steering wheel also enable you to control the system without lifting your hands off the steering wheel.

SONY DSC

As far as we can tell, the new Jazz does not come with an ECON mode or cruise control for the Malaysian market. Could you share with us why these features have been removed? Were there studies done on Malaysian driving styles that led to such a decision being made?

This is more to do with the position of the product in the Malaysian market. Of course, we do study the usability of the model locally, and from there we thought that the current specification of the new Jazz is the best package that we could offer for the Malaysian market.

When we drove the Jazz in Thailand last month, we found that the new car rode slightly firmer and had more responsive handling than the City. Has there been any changes in suspension and/or steering tuning compared to the City?

Yes, there have been changes compared to the City, a little bit on the stiffer side.

SONY DSC

Why does the ASEAN-market Jazz not get the direct-injected 1.5 litre engine that the Japanese-market model gets? Are there plans to introduce this type of engine in the ASEAN market at some point in the future?

As we have said, we are looking for the best overall package in the market segment, and the current engine is the most suitable for local driving conditions.

The development of the direct injection engine for each region is being carried out, but at the moment we cannot mention when exactly will we introduce the engine to the Malaysian market.

The Jazz’s Ultra Seats aren’t available on the rest of Honda’s products. The City doesn’t have them, and neither does the Vezel. Is there a reason why they are exclusive to the Jazz?

The Ultra Seats require requires the fuel tank to be positioned in the centre of the car, something only the Jazz has.

Honda Jazz Mugen Kit- 2

The new Jazz has a few accessory packages such as aerokits available as cost options. How crucial do you think they will be for the car’s sales?

The Jazz has been very popular among the younger generation who liked to soup up their cars, and there were a lot of aftermarket parts to cater for these people, and we felt it was a lost opportunity [that we did not sell any tuning parts]. This time around, we are offering a Modulo kit as well as a Mugen kit for the first time, and while they may not be cheap, they are approved by Honda.

The unique part is that these kits are part of the Jazz’s price list itself, so they can be included in the car loan. Hence, for each monthly payment, the buyer would only have to pay about RM40-RM50 more for these kits.

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.

Learn more:

Certified Pre-Owned - 1 Year Warranty

10% discount when you renew your car insurance

Compare prices between different insurer providers and use the promo code 'PAULTAN10' when you make your payment to save the most on your car insurance renewal compared to other competing services.

Car Insurance

Jonathan Lee

After trying to pursue a career in product design, Jonathan Lee decided to make the sideways jump into the world of car journalism instead. He therefore appreciates the aesthetic appeal of a car, but for him, the driving experience is still second to none.

 

Comments

  • gaviny on Jul 17, 2014 at 10:20 am

    sad that we miss out on good engines, but honda , really other can do it , why not include us as well right

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 0
    • Same L0rr on Jul 17, 2014 at 12:12 pm

      Read the comments from Honda and Proton (yesterday), you will realise world class brand is much more practical. They know their car and they only talk about current car.

      Funny words like “design DNA”, “globally acceptable car”, “timelessness” in Proton interview are really amusing.

      The best part: “Obviously we can’t follow exactly what the customer wants, because the customer doesn’t really know what they want say two to three years down the line.”

      LOL

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 2
    • policeman on Jul 17, 2014 at 12:33 pm

      tak habis dengan “why we don’t get this” “why me?” “why you hate me?” “we want it too”

      Kan orang dah cakap, kau miskin, kalau bagi full package kau tak mampu beli. Sudahlah, pergi bawa EX5 kao.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 9
    • Nissan on Jul 17, 2014 at 3:57 pm

      Can’t really understand what do he mean by best package for Malaysia, he is just not answering to the question.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
      • Bolehland on Jul 22, 2014 at 3:31 pm

        It translate to: U pay peanuts, u get monkey. U wanna sell it at XXX price, we’ll take out some gadgets to make it a cheaper car.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Does the new Jazz include free steering lock? Hehehe . if yes then ill get ready mah rm2000 for booking

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 22
  • “The development of the direct injection engine for each region is being carried out, but at the moment we cannot mention when exactly will we introduce the engine to the Malaysian market.”

    Sweeeetttt…… will wait for this one…..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
    • slk3879 on Jul 17, 2014 at 11:40 am

      wait long long la…

      That’s protocol answer, ask any politician, PR officer, they can give you the same answer without having to think about it

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 0
  • Semi-Value (Member) on Jul 17, 2014 at 10:27 am

    a good car ruin by honda malaysia’s (hicom syed mokhtar) tactics to underspec the car in comparison to the city

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 28 Thumb down 8
  • Steve Jobs on Jul 17, 2014 at 10:36 am

    Jazz already out,now waiting for Proton turn.heuehuehueue.later can compare then i go buy.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 5
    • another direct competition to the GSC. Probably will fail even before it is born.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 2
    • slk3879 on Jul 17, 2014 at 11:44 am

      Wow, proton must be really good, even STEVE JOBS want one …

      Wait, do you still need car in the after world? Get someone to burn you a paper proton now that the Chinese ghost month is approching

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 3
  • Is a shame that M’sia CKD only get to have cheapo headlamps as compared to JDM and the US market. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Fit#mediaviewer/File:3rd_generation_Honda_FIT_front.JPG

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 0
  • I think better wait for the hybrid version, with tax deduction, it will be better value for money.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 5
  • Once honda starts to introduce their new small capacity force feed engine, the product will be great

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • flipper2uman (Member) on Jul 17, 2014 at 12:07 pm

    “The development of the direct injection engine for each region is being carried out, but at the moment we cannot mention when exactly will we introduce the engine to the Malaysian market”

    I think this may be due to lower fuel quality in Malaysia and thus affect the long term reliability of the engine.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
  • heybadigol on Jul 17, 2014 at 12:21 pm

    I would’ve asked about the new Honda NSX and the new turbo DI engines rather than just the normally aspirated DI engine. Haha. But of course, engine development not under him, and neither is the NSX project.

    The new 1.5 & 2.0 turbo engines previewed earlier this year is really promising. But considering that even the DI engine never came here (which US Accord already has), so Malaysia must be a generation behind US. We will get DI in the coming few years hopefully. Then maybe, and a big maybe, the turbo engines comes here after 5-10 years.

    Interesting answer on why only the Jazz has the ultra seat. So that means the City does not have centre fuel tank either. Which means they will ride & handle differently.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • dodgeviper88 on Jul 17, 2014 at 1:04 pm

    The only question that I would pose to him is this; why is there faux lamps on the rear windshield? What were you thinking?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Proton please hire this guy and make Azlan work under him.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 0
  • Norman J on Jul 17, 2014 at 1:47 pm

    Local Jazz spec should be at par with local City spec but Honda Malaysia has decided otherwise. No reason to buy Jazz V. Just top up a bit and get the premium spec City V.

    Note: Honda Fit top spec version in the US gets everything – econ mode, reverse camera, cruise control and even lane watch.

    Note 2: In Australia, Honda offers a. Collision Mitigation Braking System, b. Lane Keep Assist System, c. Adaptive Cruise Control & d. Lane Watch (for Accord). Over here we only get Lane Watch and that is available for Accord 2.4 only. And our car prices are much more expensive!!! Aaargghhh!!!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 0
  • Norman J on Jul 17, 2014 at 2:00 pm

    Here is the Jazz spec for the Australian market:
    http://jazz.honda.com.au/specifications.html – even basic version gets a lot of features

    Here is the price range:
    http://jazz.honda.com.au/range.html – key in 2000 as postcode for Sydney to get the prices

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 0
  • Is it just me or the rear really looks like suprima S.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 3
  • 4G63T DSM on Jul 17, 2014 at 3:33 pm

    Hmmm.. I could be wrong but I could have sworn that the city had the ultra seats.

    They do share the same fuel tank layout. What has gone amiss here?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • Right Hand Drive on Jul 17, 2014 at 8:59 pm

    I have seen the car yesterday. My comments:-
    1. Overall styling is excellent.
    2. Spacious cabin.
    3. Too much plastic material on dashboard and side door trims.
    4. The seat cushion fabric feels cheap and low quality. Easily gather dust.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Sam Loo (ori) on Jul 18, 2014 at 10:29 pm

    Another RM5k lower for Hyundai B-Segment trade in

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • takNakP1 on Jul 22, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    “best overall package in the market segment”
    I say this means “best overall profit in a ultra high tax market”.
    add all those features and technology the starting price may jump to 80k and above which is no longer looks “low price” for the local market.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

Add a comment

required

required