Honda Siel Cars India is to launch its latest model in India, the Jazz, next month with a 1.2-litre i-VTEC engine which has been specially developed for the Indian market.

The new powertrain is a four-cylinder, 1198cc engine featuring Programmed Fuel Injection delivering class-leading power of 89bhp at 6200rpm and torque of 11.2 kgm at 4800rpm while delivering a claimed fuel economy of 16.1 kilometres per litre (as per ARAI test data).

In line with Honda’s aim to reduce its environmental footprint, the new engine is E10-compatible and has Euro IV emission levels. The development work for this engine was carried out at the Honda R&D centre in Tochigi, Japan. According to Jnaneswar Sen, vice-president - marketing, Honda Siel Cars India, “The ‘Made for India’ Jazz engine will provide the perfect balance between good fuel economy and performance. While the engine was developed specially for the Indian market, it has been successfully launched in UK due to its excellent performance.”