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Honda Jazz Will be the Cheapest Hybrid in the UK

Honda will introduce the smallest and cheapest hybrid on the UK market with the launch of the Jazz lineup over the next few months. The model will be the first supermini with this kind of powertrain and should be significantly cheaper than some of its competitors.

The picture is not as rosy as it sounds, as the Jazz is not as green as its rivals. Even when fitted with a continuously variable transmission, hybrid powertrain and stop-start system, the Jazz has CO2 emissions of 104g/km, well above the 89g/km achieved by the Auris, and higher even than regular petrol models such as the Ford Fiesta (99g/km).

"The Jazz is a global car, it has not been specifically engineered for the UK or to [avoid] the London congestion charge. We could get down to under 100g/km [the congestion charge waiver threshold] but there would be compromises along the way. We would probably have to install a larger battery, therefore reducing space in the cargo area, or lose weight in the car by stripping out sound-deadening materials which would lead to a loss in refinement," said Product PR manager Steve Kirk, according to a recent just-auto article.

The company is still confident the Jazz Hybrid will made a significant dent in the fleet market. The hybrid will be introduced in early March while 1.2 and 1.4-liter petrol models go into the showrooms from this month. The two petrols are built at Honda’s UK factory in Swindon, while hybrids are built in Japan where the manufacturing technology is based. The green Jazz will be priced at GBP15,995 (around US$25,500), some GBP3,000 (4$,789) below the Toyota Auris hybrid.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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