Condemned by Malaysians, 'too cute' 2021 Honda Jazz wins 2 Red Dot Design Awards

As consumers in emerging markets (including Malaysian keyboard warriors) find the fourth-generation (4G) 2021 Honda Jazz a bit too radical/cute/retro to accept, it's a winner elsewhere, having scooped up two gongs in the Red Dot Design Awards' 'Product Design' category.

Jazz, Jazz Crosstar win Car Design awards

The Jazz's latest iteration takes after Honda's 'Yoo no bi' design philosophy, which essentially means 'honing everyday items to make them more beautiful and ergonomically satisfying to use'.

If that means chibi headlights and cutesy looks, combined with a relatively simple interior that further builds on the carmaker's 'Man-Maximum, Machine-Minimum' ethos, then hey, these Car Design awards prove that those concepts work. 

Also read: Here to conquer cityscapes worldwide, this is the all-new Honda Jazz

Aside from the regular Jazz, there's the Crosstar variant. As the 'Cross' suffix implies, it takes on a crossover flavour with black cladding, roof rails, and even variant-specific wheels.

In Europe, the Jazz is hybrid-only, running a employing a similar, dual-motor setup (Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive, i-MMD) as our Honda City RS.  

Also read: Here’s why the all-new 2020 Honda City RS with i-MMD doesn’t need a gearbox

Japanese customers know it as the Fit, and regular petrol engine options are offered there.

Under the skin, the Jazz comes with choice features such as the much-loved Magic Seats (we know it as Ultra Seats), as well as the Honda Sensing suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

Also read: This is how useful the Honda Jazz’s Ultra Seats are! Myvi what?

Forget about it in Malaysia

In an earlier article, we've detailed a few reasons why this Jazz won't make it here -  partly because customers in this region can't appreciate the rather unconventional look, and partly because of Honda Motor Co's product rationalisation exercise.

Which is why the Honda City Hatchback was developed - its sharp creases and familiar cues suit this region's tastes a little bit more.

There's a few other reasons too, such as parts commonality (cheaper to produce, since the City Hatchback shares an entire front end with the Honda City sedan), and simplified marketing. 

Also read: Malaysia confirmed to end Honda Jazz with City Hatchback – wise move or foolish?

But that's not to say the City Hatchback is in any way a lesser car than the Jazz - it still keeps a practical cabin and boasts a rather nice ride, as you can read in the review below. 

Also read: Review: Here's what the Thai media says of the 2021 Honda City Hatchback

Closer to home, Malaysians can expect the City Hatchback to make its way here in late-2021. Unlike the Thai-spec cars, ours will use the same 1.5-litre pure-petrol engine/CVT combo that's in the City sedan.