Hi
A question for HJ really. In the write-up on the 2005 MY Honda Jazz, HJ mentions that Honda are not importing the more powerful version of the Jazz because they are using the Jazz model to maintain their CAFE rating. I had never heard of CAFE but a quick search on the Web revealed it stands for Corporate Average Fuel Economy ( www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/cafe/overview.htm ) but the only references I can find seem to indicate that this is target used for the American market. Is CAFE a target used in the UK?
Andy
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That's what the Honda UK marketing director told me. BMW make those strange motorbikes with roofs for the same reason, because they qualify as 'cars' for the purpose of calculating a Corporate Average Fuel Economy.
HJ
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Based on this 'CAFE' then, which brand are currently tops? I'd guess something like Citroen?
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Citroen also do large cars and vans which would lower their rating. I would guess that Smart tops them all, but if that is not deemed a 'proper' car company, then Perodua, Proton or one of those "small car companies" that only do small cars.
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Hi again. Thanks for quick reply HJ. Maybe the CAFE rating is known as something else in the UK, if Honda and BMW configure their range to meet the target there must be a reason.
On the Honda Jazz front, it's a pity they don't import the more powerful version, I'm in the market for a 'large supermini' or a small family car and having driven a Jazz I'd be interested myself if they had one with a bit more grunt.
Andy
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I only found out when I asked the marketing guy precisely that question, on the basis that the 110PS Jazz is a 'cool' young people's car in Bangkok, rather than the older person's car it seems to have become in the UK. Would have been fairly easy for Honda to do a Max Power treatment using Thai and Jap accessories and transform its image. Maybe even stick a turbo on it, like Toyota has done to the Soluna Vios.
HJ
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I think a man of your influence should be able to sort this out :-)
If you could get Honda to import the faster Jazz and also arrange for Toyota to sell the Toyota/Scion xA in the UK I'd be spoilt for choice!
Andy
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I may be mistaken but aren't the CAFE rules US legislation and only enforceable in the USA? As the CAFE rules, or an equivalent are not required in the UK (yet), it's hard to see what relevance they have. Sounds like corporate horse-feathers to me!
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No CAFE in the UK.
Its internal US legislation. VM's who exceed the CAFE figure have to pay a "fine" on each vehicle sold (i.e. the US Gov. applies a tax to companies who sell predominantly gas guzzlers).
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Yeah, right - except that Lincoln navigators and most other bloat mobiles are classified as trucks so they're exempt.
Another nice move from the nation that brought you the Kyoto sidestep.
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Yeah, right - except that Lincoln navigators and most other bloat mobiles are classified as trucks so they're exempt. Another nice move from the nation that brought you the Kyoto sidestep.
Indeed. CAFE is the reason that we're becoming overrun with 4x4's. The US automakers were struggling with CAFE but then spotted that 4x4's were outside of its remit (classed as 'trucks') so they started to promote them heavily - flogging them as 'lifestyle' vehicles, ideal for going down to the local Mall and Home Depot. The rest is history.
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So if Honda's reason for not importing a faster Jazz isn't CAFE, it's probably something they don't want to admit, like not having the capacity to make more. I think the Jazz is no.1 bestseller in Japan, so maybe the home market takes up most of the capacity.
It's a pity, and all power to you, HJ, if you have any influence with them. SWMBO was in the market for exactly that earlier this year - her Jazz was excellent but not quite quick enough - and we ended up getting her a Civic Type S which is fast but bigger than she really wants.
Honda would find a niche here for a fast but practical supermini - there isn't much competition. We should have gone for a Skoda Fabia VRS but SWMBO (a Daily Mail reader) is much too conservative for it! She had a 206 HDI before - excellent engine but the rest of the car wasn't great, and the blind spot at the back was positively dangerous.
Has anyone else looked for something like this successfully?
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Avant,
new Daihatsu Sirion is worth a look, we got a nearly new Sirion last year with the 1.3 Toyota engine.
All the toys, very willing engine matched to a close ratio gearbox makes this a hoot to drive.
It's a bit lightweight but it's primary use is commuting in town so it's not an issue.
Being majority owned by Toyota it's a bit like Japan's Skoda.
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In response to Malcolm, guess what racing driver and Telegraph contributor Tony Dron drives as his daily runner? That's right. A Sirion.
HJ
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