Honda Jazz

The Honda Jazz nameplate has been used by Honda of Japan to denote several different cars since 1982.

• European-market name for the Honda City Mk I from 1982 to 1986, as City was already trademarked by Opel.
• Japanese-market name for the badge-engineered version of the Isuzu Mysterious Utility (MU), known around the world as the Opel Frontera, Holden Frontera, or Isuzu Amigo.

However, more recently it has been used for a five-door hatchback automobile first introduced in June 2001. The vehicle is known as the Fit in Japan and China, as well as in both North and South America. It is called the Jazz in Europe, Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, and Africa. (For the sake of consistency, the vehicle is referred to as the “Jazz” in this article, except in areas where the use of the term “Fit” is more appropriate.)

Introduction

Although the Jazz is now one of Honda’s global models, it experienced a very slow progression as it made its way around the world. The car first debuted in June 2001 in Japan. It was then introduced to Europe (early 2002), Australia (late 2002), Brazil and South America (early 2003), Thailand and South-East Asia (late 2003), China (mid 2004), and Mexico (late 2005). A production model for the United States and Canadian markets debuted on January 8, 2006 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The car will be released in the US and Canada in April 2006. Unlike most Honda models, which traditionally have 4 or 5-year model cycles, the current generation Jazz will remain around for a longer period of time thanks to the late release in North America.

Models

The Jazz is sold in 5 variations. All Jazz or Fit models throughout the world utilize one of these 5 distinct codes. They are found in the vehicle’s identification number (VIN):

• GD1: 1.3L L13A engine 2WD
• GD2: 1.3L L13A engine 4WD (Japan only)
• GD3: 1.5L L15A engine 2WD
• GD4: 1.5L L15A engine 4WD (Japan only)
• GD5: 1.2L L12A engine 2WD (Europe only)