Well I wrote to the CEO of Honda(UK) asking about the lack of passenger seat height adjustment on the Jazz, Crosstar and new HR-V. Got a polite reply today...
"I have spoken with our Business Planning Department to discuss your enquiry. They have advised that there is no demand globally for this feature and therefore it is unlikely to be added to any of the models.”
So there you are then, no-one wants height adjustable passenger seats! So their competitors who are fitting them are wrong and Honda are right! People on this forum who need a height adjustable passenger seat are all wrong because there is no demand!
The arrogance of the reply is unbelievable - if that is the way Honda treats customers then I will have to rethink my planned purchase.
This is a classic "computer says no" reply. Doubtless it would take time and effort to really gauge demand / usefulness of the feature vs cost. Other competitors may have it, but likely at the expense of other features (Hondas are well-specified vs VW group products for example).
It's fair to make the assumption that most people (who may get into the vehicle and ride as passengers) will never feel the need to adjust the seat. However, this does not take into account the owners' other half for example (who will ride in the car more regularly) or those who have special needs - or like me - a bad back!
Making it extra cost option is more acceptable from my POV (say about 100 GBP). That still may not placate everyone, but at least the option is there if you want it.
But sometimes car manufacturers are plain stingy. I never understand how, for example, you can have a seat pocket behind one of the front seats, but not the other!!
I guess a smarter reply would have been "although we do not have any plans at present to make this an option, we are grateful for your feedback and will raise the issue with blah, blah blah". At the very least it makes you feel more valued as a prospective customer, whereas the reply you got is simply "take it or leave it, cheers!"