Launching in Malaysia, 2021 Honda City Hatchback – No more Jazz, but who cares?

We might not be seeing the good old Honda Jazz in Malaysia anymore come next year. In 2019, the name “City Hatchback” popped up, indicating a new Honda to arrive in Malaysia soon. With such an obvious name as the Honda City Hatchback, the car is derived from one of the most popular B-segment saloons in Malaysia.

Q: So, what about the Honda Jazz then?

A: The Honda Jazz will likely be replaced by the City Hatchback in Malaysia. It will still be available for the European and Japanese markets. The Honda City Hatchback will be purposed for the ASEAN and South American market.

Q: Has the Honda City Hatchback been seen in our region yet?

A: Yes. The Honda City Hatchback has been spotted in camouflage, being tested in Thailand.  From the looks of it, it doesn’t deviate much from the leaked patent images.

Q: What engine will the Honda City Hatchback use?

A: It will most likely share the same powertrain as its sedan counterpart. Possible engine options include:

Seeing that the Honda City in Malaysia in its non-hybrid form only gets the 1.5-litre engine, the same is expected of the City Hatchback. However, it would be interesting to see 1.0-litre turbo engine in the Honda City Hatchback, like the Nissan Almera.

Q: How does the Honda City 1.5 engine compare to the Honda Jazz 1.5 (GK5) engine?

Like so:

Q: And what transmission would it use?

Most likely the same CVT gearbox in the sedan Honda City.

Q: How big is the Honda City hatchback? Is it bigger than the Honda Jazz?

The sedan Honda city is 4,553 mm long. Indian Autos Blog speculates the Honda City Hatchback to be about 4,200 mm long. The adorable Honda Jazz is only 3,989 mm long. 

The 2,600 mm wheelbase of the Honda City Sedan is likely to be carried over to the hatchback.

Looking at the similar interior dimensions of the Toyota Vios and Yaris, interior dimensions of the Honda City Sedan and Honda City hatchback could also be similar to each other. Rear headroom is expected to be a little bit smaller in the hatchback version.

Q: Will it get Honda’s i-MMD powertrain?

We are uncertain about this, but looking at the battery pack in the Honda City RS, there should be no problem fitting it into the hatchback. Things are pretty much identical in the front of the car so the i-MMD system could be carried over.

Q: What about safety features? ADAS?

A: Honda has showcased decent entry ADAS systems in the Honda City sedan with Honda Sensing (FCW, CMBS, LDW, LKAS, RDM, ACC, AHB). With the Toyota Yaris also being rather well-equipped in this department, it would be a shame if the City Hatchback didn’t come with any form of ADAS.

Q: What will we miss about the Honda Jazz?

A: Definitely the ULTRA seat configuration. The ULTRA seats allow for maximum utilisation of space in such a small car.

UPDATE: The Honda City Hatchback also gets ULTRA seats, albeit a missing "A"

Q: When will it come to Malaysia?

A: Back in June, we predicted the Honda City sedan to arrive in Q1 2021, but Christmas came early. We also predicted the Honda City hatchback to arrive by end of 2021, but who knows, things might just happen a lot faster. More information on the 2021 Honda City Hatchback is yet to come.

Honda City Hatchback or Toyota Yaris? What’s your choice?