• Going on sale in Japan in February 2020
• Only available as two-motor, full hybrid (for Japan)
• Also comes with a taller riding crossover variant
• Adds Sensing, Connected services, body stabilizing seats

The all-new fourth generation Honda Jazz has made its world premiere at today’s opening of the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show.

Sold in Japan as well as the US as the Honda Fit, the all-new Honda Jazz spots a radically different exterior styling. Gone is the sharp creases and angular character lines, replaced by a more bulbous exterior.

Although the all-new Honda Jazz has made its first public appearance, the model won’t go on sale in Japan until February 2020. As such, don't expect it to be launch in Malaysia until late-2020 or mid-2021. 

Similar to Europe, the Japanese market Honda Jazz is only available as a hybrid, but instead of using the outgoing model’s single motor i-DCD (Intelligent Dual-Clutch Drive), the all-new Jazz uses a two-motor i-MMD (Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive) hybrid that was first used in the Accord and CR-V, but adapted for sub-compact car application.

All Honda electric and hybrid vehicle technologies will now be parked under the Honda e:Technology sub-brand, thus doing away with the outgoing model’s confusing acronyms. Hybrid variants will now be called e:HEV

Details of the engine and transmission will only be revealed closer to its market launch date, but it will most likely be a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated hybrid.

Inside, the all-new Jazz retains its signature class-leading interior space. It looks small on the outside, but inside it’s even bigger than many cars from one segment above it, thanks to a very space-efficient packaging.

The steering is now a two-spoke unit, similar to the all-electric Honda e.

The Honda Sensing has also been upgraded with a newer version of Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), now optimized for short-distance. Details to be revealed later.

2020 Honda Jazz Gallery

For Japan, there are five variants on offer, none of it are using traditional alphanumeric names, but instead have fashionable names that you would normally see only on lifestyle products. One of the variants - the Crosstar - is a taller riding crossover.

Practical city cars are something which Japanese brands, especially Honda do very well in. The nature of Japanese driving conditions, with their famously tight parking and congested streets, plus high fuel cost, force Japanese manufacturers to be very innovative with their city cars.

More on the all-new Honda Jazz's interior here.

Honda President and CEO Takahiro Hachigo said “We believe this car will be able to become an industry standard for the new era only if it can win admiration in the Japanese market where fulfilling customer needs for compact cars is especially difficult compared to other parts of the world. Based on this belief, we squarely and sincerely faced our customers in Japan and perfected this all-new Fit as a global model that Honda will propose from Japan to the rest of the world."