While checking on the current Honda City for our new 2020 Honda City launch report, we chanced on some new figures in the Honda Malaysia (HM) website – the Honda Jazz Hybrid and City Hybrid now have slightly higher sticker prices. The hatchback is now priced at RM87,707 on the road without insurance, while its sedan sister is listed as RM92,172.

Pricing for the rest of the Jazz and City range remain unchanged, so the hike is limited to just the hybrids. The upward revision means that the hybrids – launched in mid-2017 with prices sandwiched between the E and V – are now costlier than the previously range topping V. With the new RRP, the City range also breaches the RM90k mark.

Before this, the Jazz Hybrid was priced at RM80,091 and the City Hybrid RM84,167, so we’re looking at an increase of RM7,616 and RM8,005 respectively.

This upward revision is most likely due to changes in government incentives for CKD hybrids. That was the reason that HM could price the dual-propulsion variant low in the first place – it’s common for a hybrid to be the priciest car in the range due to the extra cost of the extra hardware that goes into the car.

HM had previously mentioned that the City Hybrid would carry a sticker price of above RM100,000 if not for hybrid tax incentives, so perhaps the tax breaks are still there, just not as generous.

Both the Jazz Hybrid and City Hybrid are powered by a Sport Hybrid i-DCD system that combines a 1.5 litre engine with idle stop, a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox with an integrated electric motor, a lithium-ion hybrid battery and an electric driven compressor.

The engine used here isn’t the one found in the regular Jazz/City, but a unique Atkinson cycle DOHC i-VTEC unit with 110 PS and 134 Nm of torque at 5,000 rpm. Combined with a 30 PS (22 kW)/160 Nm electric motor, the system produces a combined 137 PS and 170 Nm of torque. That’s more than the petrol-only 1.5L’s 120 PS/145 Nm. The claimed official fuel consumption figures are 4.0 litres per 100 km (25 km/l) for the Jazz and 3.9 litres per 100 km (25.6 km/l) for the City.

With RON 95 petrol prices set to increase very soon for some motorists – unless you’re eligible for fuel subsidies – some might still find the Jazz Hybrid and City Hybrid to make sense, in dollars and cents terms. For those who purchased before the price hike, well done.

-paultan