Honda to build Jazz (Fit) Hybrid in Malaysia

During the grounds breaking ceremony that I attended last week, Honda made the announcement that they will be building the Jazz (Fit) Hybrid in Malaysia. This means Malaysia will be the 2nd country after the U.S. to build hybrid models outside of Japan. Production of the Jazz Hybrid will begin on the current "No. 1 Line" and work is going on to prepare the production line for the assembly of the model. Currently Jazz Hybrids sold in Malaysia are fully imported from Japan in what is called CBU or Completely Built Up form. 

The price of the Jazz Hybrid is fairly attractive at around RM95,000 and this local assembly promises to help keep the price at this level even when the special Malaysia tax exemption for hybrid cars expires at the end of next year (2013). It is however unlikely that the price for Malaysia will change even after the production has changed to local production, due to the need to protect the investments of customers who already owns the Jazz Hybrid. Of course this is just my own guess.

The Jazz Hybrid is fitted with the same powerplant and battery unit as the Insight, 1.3l IMA with around 100ps max power. The Malaysian units comes only with the CVT 7-speed.

How strong is a Honda ?

Every manufacturer makes big boasts about how tough and safe their cars are. Occasionally, things conspire to put their claims to the test. In this case, the Honda CR-V definitely lives up to the boast. A bizarre accident caused a 18-wheel trailer weighing well over 13 tons to roll on top of a CR-V. And yet the driver came out totally untouched. Links to the news article plus TOV discussions are available at 

http://www.vtec.net/forums/one-message?message_id=1080835&page_number=1#1080835.

Honda expands Malaysia assembly plant (TOVA coverage)

On July 19th 2012, Honda made the announcement that they are expanding their Malaysia assembly plant located in Pegoh, Melaka. While this expansion have been talked about for many years now, it has been an 'off again/on again' affair AFAIK, due to the development of the automobile industry in Malaysia and how Honda perceives it. However unforeseen and uncontrollable situations last year clearly made Honda decide to expand and spread out their operations and this is one of the outcome.

The expansion of the plant includes three new additions: an assembly plant which Honda calls the "No. 2 Line", a new PDI or Post-Delivery-Inspection, and a new test track. The new "No. 2 Line" is slated for the assembly of 'entry level' models, which I believe is meant to be the City and Jazz. An intriguing thought would be the possibility of Honda Malaysia assembling the new Brio mini-car here as well.

The PDI is where cars rolling off the assembly lines are sent for preparation for delivery to customers. It is here where the accessories, including things like the wheels and alarm system, are added to the car. This two stage process is necessary to manage the cost of duties which Honda has to pay for each car assembled and sold. Finally, the new test track is 2.1km long and is meant to allow Honda a more comprehensive testing to ensure the QA of their cars. This track is located right at the back of the plant grounds and includes a very long straight section and has a 'speed limit' of 140kph (around 80mph).

The photo above is of a model of the plant including the new 'No. 2 line'. The new buildings are at the back, greyish in colour while those in white colour are the existing buildings for the 'No. 1 line'. For those who have visited the factory before, the main entrance which is flanked by the visitors carpark on the left and the football field on the right is at the bottom middle of the photo. The PDI (post delivery inspection) area is on the far right. The 'main straight' of the 2.1km test track can just be seen right at the edge of the model in the back.

Work is actually already in progress for this expansion and at the grounds laying ceremony, I can see heavy vehicles working on the expansion grounds. At the moment, construction is mostly complete for the PDI and for the No. 2 Line, around 18% of the piling works has been completed. The PDI will be opened for operations soon while the new No. 2 Line is scheduled to be completed in a year's time, around July 2013, in time for a two-months trial run and then full production planned for October 2013.

Honda says the new line should allow annual production of the plant to reach 100,000 units or 800 units a day which is double the current output. This is timely and very important as Honda's annual sales target have now begun to exceed the 50,000 units mark and they have to depend on the not entirely certain availability of CBU (full imported) models to make up the sales target.

The photos below are wall charts that accompanied the model display above which provides more details of the plant expansion. 

Honda expands Malaysia assembly plant (official press release)

HONDA MALAYSIA TO BE THE FIRST NON-NATIONAL MANUFACTURER TO PRODUCE HYBRID VEHICLES LOCALLY

•          Honda Malaysia expands its factory with an investment of RM350 million

•          Honda Malaysia to start rolling out hybrid vehicles by the end of this year; this move reaffirms Honda Malaysia’s leadership in being the pioneer of hybrid technology in Malaysia

•          Total production capacity will increase to 100,000 units annually and 800 units daily when No. 2 Line completes in Q4 2013

Malacca, 19 July 2012 – Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd today announced that it would be producing hybrid vehicles locally. The announcement was made by Mr. Hiroshi Kobayashi, President and Chief Executive Officer of Asian Honda Motor Co., Ltd. at the Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony of its No. 2 Line at Honda’s Pegoh Plant in Alor Gajah, Malacca. When the first hybrid rolls out of its plant later this year, Honda will become the first non-national automotive manufacturer in Malaysia to locally produce hybrid vehicles. Currently, Honda produces its hybrid vehicles only in Japan and the US.

The historic ceremony was graced by guests-of-honour, Datuk Seri Haji Mohd Ali bin Mohd Rustam, Chief Minister of Malacca and Dato’ Sri Mustapa bin Mohamed, Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI).

In his welcome speech, Mr. Yoichiro Ueno, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Honda Malaysia lauded the support by the Malaysian government in promoting green technology among industry players. “Honda’s growth and strong presence here in Malaysia would not have been possible without the partnership and support of the government and people of Malaysia. We have nurtured a strong working relationship with the government, our suppliers, dealers and customers. I would like to reiterate our firm commitment towards our business here in Malaysia as we strive to become a company that Malaysians would be proud to have in this country.”

Honda Malaysia has been manufacturing vehicles locally since 2003. The expansion of its production line to manufacture hybrid models is a natural progression in line with the increasing demand for advanced, clean and fuel-efficient vehicles in Malaysia.

Mr. Kobayashi shared his joy to be able to participate in this significant event. “We will start local production of the Jazz Hybrid at the Malacca Plant by the end of this year. Due to Asia’s fast growth and diverse markets, Honda will accelerate efforts throughout our regional operations to achieve Honda’s 2020 vision. Southeast Asia in particular holds a very important position for Honda’s global business. With a huge population, strong GDP growth and spending power, the demand for passenger vehicles in this region has grown tremendously in the past 10 years. We want to keep on creating products that maximize the joy of our customers, with speed, affordability and low CO²emissions in these markets.”

Honda is the pioneer in bringing hybrid technology to Malaysia, introducing the first hybrid vehicle to Malaysians back in 2007. With the move to produce hybrid vehicles locally, Honda is once again leading the way in the introduction of higher value technologies to Malaysians.

Honda Malaysia is investing RM350 million for the expansion, which includes building, equipment and facilities. The new No.2 Line is scheduled to begin operations by the fourth quarter of 2013 and will be able to produce 100,000 units annually. When both the production lines are up and running, Honda Malaysia will be able to produce up to 800 vehicles per day, double its current output.

Hybrid vehicles will be produced at its No. 1 Line while the new No. 2 Line is specially built to increase Honda’s ability to meet the Malaysian market demand for compact vehicles. Both the current and the new No. 2 Line will have the capability to produce multiple models and to quickly and efficiently shift production as required. In pursuit of Honda’s “Green Factory” concept, the No.2 line will continue to adopt a more efficient and environment friendly manufacturing operation.

The expanded factory will occupy a total space of 8.48 million square metres when it is completed; almost double the 4.32 million square metres of its current size. Mr. Ueno continued, “With this expanded factory, we are making investments to bring in state-of-the-art technologies as well as other investments. There will also be a transferring of technology such as with the installation of the latest state-of-the-art General Welding equipment. This is a demonstration of our commitment to continue providing products of the highest quality to our customers in Malaysia, which is reflected in our achievement of the No.1 ranking in the Initial Quality Study (IQS) award for the past 5 consecutive years.”

Mr. Ueno added that this investment would also be able to create more jobs for Malaysians. When the expansion at the Malacca Plant is completed and begins full operations next year, Honda Malaysia expects to employ 700 new associates.

Honda Malaysia believes that cost competitiveness is critical to success in this country. Together with its plant expansion, it is also widening its local supplier network to increase the parts content sourced in Malaysia. Currently, Honda Malaysia sources about 40% of the completely knocked-down (CKD) vehicles components locally and plan to further increase the local content.

The expanded Pegoh Plant in Malacca will assemble (CKD) models such as the City, Civic, Accord, CR-V and the first hybrid model, the Jazz Hybrid.

The expanded factory is complemented by the recently built RM40 million Pre-Delivery Inspection Centre (PDI) and Vehicle Quality Test Course which was commissioned on 7 July 2012. The new Vehicle Quality Test Course is designed with different dynamic testing zones and road conditions, which will be able to fully test two new vehicles per session. Earlier this year, Honda Malaysia officially opened their new warehouse to provide better support to its dealers.

Mr. Ueno added that parallel to the expansion and introduction of new models, Honda Malaysia is also looking to increase its dealer network throughout Malaysia, to up to 90 dealers by the end of 2015.

With the newly expanded factory, Honda Malaysia reaffirms its commitment to deliver its products on time and continue to excite Malaysians with an exciting line up of advanced models, for both the petrol and hybrid range.

Interior quality of the 9G Civic

There seems to be some disagreement amongst TOV/TOVA'ers about the interior quality of the 9Gen Civic, between the ASEAN and USDM versions, and even between the previous 8Gen and the new 9Gen units. While it is never possible to judge correctly, nevertheless I was very concious of this issue and I -did- take close up photos of the material of the cabin. 

In this first supplementary post, I have put up three photos of the inside of the 1.8l Civic below for readers who might want to, or are able to make more informed judgements. The first photo on the top is the driver's seat, the one in the middle, the driver's door and the third the top of the dashboard on the front passenger's side where the front airbag cover is. 

I am sure any and all comments here will be of great interest to others.

9G Civic launched in ASEAN

The 9G Civic is now making its debut in ASEAN and was launched here in Malaysia yesterday. To Honda, this launch was a much awaited event is it marks the resumption of their full operations after the rather disastrous flooding in Thailand last year.

Three variants were launched for Malaysia :- Civic 1.8, two types of Civic 2.0 - with and without the NAVI option, and finally as suspected before the launch, the Civic Hybrid as well. Prices are extremely competitive, with the Civic 2.0l non-NAVI for e.g. seeing a price increase of only RM1k. Meanwhile the Civic Hybrid makes its return and is now going for just below RM120k on the road with full insurance.

I will be putting up a full coverage of the ASEAN 9G Civic very soon on TOVA. In the meantime I wish to cover a couple of questions I raised during the press conference, which I believe should be of great interest to TOV/TOVA'ers and so should be given priority in answering.

The first question I clarified about this new ASEAN 9G Civic was about the interior. As regular TOV/TOVA'ers will now be familiar with, when the USDM 9G Civic, it received some quite polarized comments and some of the most negative ones centered around its interior. They were primarily targeted at what was perceived to be low quality materials used in the interior. I asked the chief engineer who was present at the launch about this. He was surprised I knew about this issue as it is related to the USDM models but he very readily admitted to knowing about the comments/concerns. He replied that the materials are not identical. Obviously the suppliers are different which means the materials are different. However, the actual specifications of the materials are similar. Nevertheless, there are detailed changes to the interior including more padding for the seats. 

As I have not seen the insides of the 9G USDM Civic up close, I am unable to make a personal comparison. What I can offer is a photo of the dashboard of the 1.8 Civic. For direct comparison, the 1.8 Civic variant should be used as it is the only common variant between the USDM and ASEAN line-up. The other common variant in both line-up is the Civic Hybrid but the one launched by Honda Malaysia comes with a leather interior so may not be a fair comparison. Both 2.0 Civic types comes with leather interior as standard. In any case, there is no 2.0l variant in the USDM line-up. Nevertheless, I also put up a photo of the dashboard of the 2.0 Civic for those who might be interested.

The other major question I directed at the chief engineer during the press conference concerns any specification differences between the suspensions of the AEAN and USDM Civics. To this he confirms that the settings are different. Apparently Honda perceives the expectations of US and ASEAN drivers to be different so the suspensions are tuned differently. US drivers are thought to prefer 'sharp response' which I believe means a preference for better handling. This probably entails compromises in ride comfort. ASEAN drivers on the other hand is perceived to want 'stable ride' which I believe means a soft, cushy comfortable ride. Given this information, the infamous complaint made by the US Consumer Reviews magazine, about the 9G Civic having 'choppy ride', can probably be put into proper perspective by ASEAN TOV/TOVA'ers who are interested in the 9G Civic but are concerned about the CR review.

I will have a more complete coverage in the proper TOVA article.

Honda City MMC coverage article

Just a quick update that my coverage of the Honda City MMC is now up at TOVA (http://asia.vtec.net .)

New variant Honda Freed S launched.

The Honda Freed is one of Honda's newest models and is a well designed and equipped small sized MPV which seats up to 7. When it was first launched a few years ago, sales were hampered by a relatively high price. In the next step to enhancing sales of the Freed, Honda Malaysia has just launched the Freed S, a new variant with reduced specifications and at a much more affordable price, below the magical RM100k mark in fact. The primary change is the deletion of the motorized sliding door, replaced by a manually operated one. Other than this, all the other unique features of the Freed are still retained. The official Honda Malaysia press release for the Freed S is below.

   

HONDA MALAYSIA INTRODUCES A NEW AFFORDABLE FREED VARIANT, THE FREED S FOR URBAN FAMILIES

Petaling Jaya, 5 July 2012 - Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd today introduced a new Freed variant, the Freed S in Malaysia. The new Freed S is a practical, comfortable and affordable compact Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) featuring "4 seater + ideas" utilities, making it the ideal vehicle for young professional urban family or couple who appreciate quality traveling time together.

The new Freed S is a Complete Build-Up (CBU) unit from Indonesia. 'FREED' originates from the word 'Freedom' and combines the meaning of "Free" and "Do". As a result, the Freed is a vehicle, which is designed without restrictions of conventional thinking or standard practices. The unique futuristic aerodynamic triangle-shaped front is the result of its design concept. It provides a powerful one-motion silhouette that highlights an energetic sharp character line. It's square-shaped cabin enhances interior spaciousness for greater comfort.

Honda Malaysia Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Yoichiro Ueno said, "We are pleased to offer the new Freed S with the practicality, stylishness, and comfort of a Multi-Purpose Vehicle in an affordable package to Malaysians."

Young modern families will find its flat floor and roof design very practical as it creates more cabin space and head room to allow young kids and elderly to move around easily in it. The design of the flat floor is achieved through the use of an ingeniously built-under-floor fuel tank. The low floor is one step, only at 410mm from the floor. Combined with grip assist, this is a great feature that eases the elderly stepping into and out of the car. 

The best in class walkthrough cabin of the new Freed S features four captain seats in the first two rows with a 200mm-wide aisle to ease access. This also increases visibility for all passengers in the first two rows.

The seating of this affordable MPV is flexible and can be configured to accommodate up to seven passengers comfortably or create a more spacious cargo area depending on requirements.  The third row seats of the Freed S are foldable in just three steps for extra loading space. This versatile configuration and spaciousness makes traveling convenient and fun as it can easily accommodate different traveling purposes such as "balik kampung" during festive seasons, leisure activities or a family day out. It can nicely fit in a baby pram, luggage and a golf set, with room to spare. The 1,620 mm low tailgate opening makes it convenient to load and unload cargo.

The new Freed S boasts of innovative storage space and holders such as the illuminated centre tray, large door pockets, backrest hook and front seat back pockets. There are 7-cup holders in the Freed S, which means each of the passengers has their own cup holders.

The dual layer dashboard is designed to hold all controls neatly, keeping the centre free of obstruction and is strategically placed for easy reach.

The new Freed S comes with a 5-speed auto transmission, Drive-By-Wire for smoother ride, 1.5L i-VTEC engine that produces maximum power of 118PS/6,600 rpm, which can also reach the maximum torque of 146Nm/4,800 rpm. The manual sliding doors makes getting in and out easier without restriction especially in tight parking situation. The fuel lid auto lock safety system is a mechanism that prevents the manual sliding door from opening fully when the fuel lid is opened.

In the aspect of safety, the new Freed S features with dual front SRS airbags and seatbelt reminders for the driver. It is rated with 6-Stars JNCAP for both driver and passenger seat. The G-Force Control Technology (G-CON) helps disperse the crash impact across the body frame while the Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) gives better crash compatibility with other cars, thus minimising injuries. The Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electrical Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA) and Grade Logic Control are featured in the latest Freed S.

The full-imported new Freed S is available in Brilliant White Pearl, Polished Metal Metallic and Crystal Black Pearl at all Honda dealers now.

The Freed S is the smartest MPV choice, which is sleek, stylish and compact MPV, all in one package with on-the-road price tag of RM 99,800.00. Customers can test drive and place their booking for the new Freed S at any authorised Honda dealers nationwide. For more information, please call Honda Toll Free number at 1-800-88-2020, or log on to www.honda.com.my.

The NEW 9Gen Civic is coming !

The new 9Gen Civic will be launched by Honda Malaysia next week. In fact some publications have even published the exact date - July 12th 2012. Advertisements have already been placed in newspapers to attract attention to this new Civic. But at the end of the day, really, what does it hold for us, Honda fans ?

Update : A reader sent in a comment to say that the Honda Civic Hybrid is actually already in Singapore, which is of course RHD. So there should not be any problems with Honda Malaysia launching the HCH. Thanks to the reader. 

Which brings me to the intriguing 'coincidence' that 'Honda Global Amity', a Honda dealer located in the Bukit Jalil area sent me an invitation to their own launch of the HCH (at their showroom) next saturday, i.e. the weekend after the launch of the Civic. This suggests to me that on July 12th, Honda Malaysia will be launching the full line-up of variants for the new 9Gen Civic - both 1.8l and 2.0l -plus- the Civic Hybrid !

Well, if you are a long time TOVA'er, it is certain that you did not come here to read an 'all is well' sugar-coated preview. In any case, with the internet as it is today, there is really no way to hide anything as people will find out by themselves. All it takes really is to type 'google' at the right place.

So let's just get down to the details, the facts exactly as they are. Or rather, whatever is known at this time.

This new 9Gen made its debut in the U.S. and Canada. It was of course also launched in Thailand recently. But this Gen Civic is very unusual in that it is still NOT launched in Japan yet. In fact, check honda.co.jp for the JDM lineup and you will notice the Civic is missing. The Civic had for a long time been synonymous with the Honda spirit. Along with the Accord, it is what defines a Honda car. Rumours are that it is possible that Honda will abandon the Civic altogether in its domestic line-up because the JDM focus is now on SUVs and MPVs. If proven true, this will be very sad.

After a rough time initially, with rather erratic reception from owners and reviews, the 9Gen Civic has since re-bounced to become a top seller in its market segment in the U.S. This is despite criticism from numerous magazines and web-sites. The criticisms centers mainly on an apparent drop in the quality of the interior. Complaints are that the interior materials look cheap and feel cheap. There are also negative comments about its ride quality, supposedly rough and un-refined. The culmination of all these is of course the rather infamous incident (by now) where the supposedly very influential publication 'Consumer Reviews' (CR) decided NOT to recommend this new 9Gen Civic. Given the fact that CR has formally recommended every generation of Civic before this, it was really huge news.

As stated above, all these are available to anyone who have access to the internet. There is no way to hide them or pretend they don't exist. Nevertheless, readers are advised to bear in mind that 'defenders' of the 9Gen Civic have pointed out that the majority of the negative feedback could be due to the fact that the reviewers tested the entry level LX variant. It was pointed out that the EX variant is much better. It is also important to note that there are also quite a number of positive reviews of the 9Gen Civic. So as usual, take all reviews with a pinch of salt and make the final decision yourself, after seeing the car in person.

Nevertheless, personally I still wish to remind readers that it is generally felt that our models seems to get better interior materials than some equivalent USDM models. E.g. our Insight gets the premium interior while the Insight in the U.S. had been getting bashed for its interior quality. This same could hold for this new 9Gen Civic, meaning do not equate what you read in the internet to what to expect from our 9Gen Civic. Again, keep an open mind until you see the actual car. It is a similar advice for the ride quality. 

Unfortunately, I have not seen our ASEAN version yet so I can't give you my views on it until its launch next week. I suppose for those who are asking the inevitable question "should I make a pre-launch booking", unfortunately the most prudent answer is that you have to decide yourself as I can't confirm if our version will be better. Perhaps you need to wait until next week when cars are available at the dealers before making the commitment (though this could mean you end up with a longer waiting period).

Nevertheless, the fact is that American Honda Motors (AHM) who markets the Civic in the U.S. has officially admitted to an impending early MMC of the 9Gen Civic - by the end of this year to be exact. So this has been seen by many as an admission by AHM themselves that things are not totally right with the 9Gen Civic. Again, this is something widely written in the internet and is something for you to consider.

What about for us in Malaysia ? As was pointed out with previous generations, what we get will be almost exactly the same as the Thailand model. In this case, we will be getting two variants - a 1.8l and a 2.0l, just like the current outgoing 8Gen model. However this time both engines will be the SOHC i-VTEC 'R-Series'. I.e. the 1.8l will get the R18A and the 2.0l will get the R20A. Honda points out that the R20A will be the engine 'from the Accord' and not from the CR-V, though the two engines are really just slightly different variations of each other. 

More intriguingly is that the R18A used in the USDM 1.8 Civic although bearing the same engine code is different from the previous engine on the 8Gen. As covered in TOV, this 'new' R18A engine no longer opens the intake valves into the compression stroke in an attempt to avoid pumping losses and thus reduce power loss. It is just 12V/16V implementation for 'normal' and 'hot-ish' cam profiles. Whether or not this will be the case with our R18A Civic I hope to find out at the launch or at the media drive event.

Again, the R20A will be the 155ps engine from the 2.0l Accord. So once again, soon we will no longer have a twin-cam VTEC Civic. Nevertheless, this R20A will not lose out to the K20A of the outgoing 8Gen 2.0l Civic. Their power rating will be the same. Even their red-line will be the same (6,800rpm). But the R20A will deliver better low end torque due to its under-square configuration (the K20A is a square configuration). So in theory, the new 2.0l Civic should be better to drive. Unfortunately this will only be 'on paper' and the intangible factor - i.e. the appeal of a 'twin-cam VTEC' engine has been ignored. Do note that the USDM don't have a 2.0l Civic but the much more desirable 200hp K24 Civic Si instead (though even this variant received lots of complaints from enthusiasts over there).

Transmission will continue to be 5AT only, no manual option is expected. The more interesting question is whether Honda Malaysia will also add the Civic Hybrid variant to the Civic line-up at a later date. But at the moment the HCH is only available in the U.S. and Canada which are LHD. This means if Honda Malaysia wants to have a Civic Hybrid locally, they will have to made a special case for it as we are RHD. 

Finally for pricing, do expect the price to creep up a little. Still I expect both variants to keep within its price bracket, i.e. the 1.8l should continue to be below RM120k while the 2.0l should continue to be below RM140k. Given the yen rate today, a price increase is really unavoidable.

The photo of the dashboard above was provided in Honda's press release for the launch event.