Skoda Rapid Sedan launch preview!

Tomorrow, Skoda India will pull the wraps off the latest C-segment offering in the Indian car market, the Skoda Rapid Sedan. In a sense, the unveiling will be more of a formality as we have covered most of the Rapid, with the only interesting and unknown bit being the price at which the Rapid will be positioned. Early indications though, have surmised the entry level Active variant of the Rapid Petrol to be priced at INR 6.7 Lakhs while the diesel variant could be priced a Lakh higher at INR 7.7 Lakhs.

Skoda Rapid C-segment Sedan

Pricing aside, the Rapid, being a rebadged and restyled Volkswagen Vento, is a car that will follow Skoda India’s new variant naming scheme across the portfolio, and will go on sale with three variants each, of the petrol and diesel engined cars. The three variants to be offered in the Rapid are Active, Ambition and Elegance. The Skoda Rapid’s petrol engined variant will also be offered with the option of a six speed automatic transmission even as a five speed manual gearbox remains standard.

The Skoda Rapid Sedan will be built alongside the Volkswagen Vento at Volkswagen’s Chakan plant and will share most parts with the Vento, including the engines. The Rapid will be available with the 105 Bhp-160 Nm 1.6 Liter MPI petrol engine and the 105 Bhp-253 Nm 1.6 Liter TDI diesel engine. We expect the diesel engine to bring most of the Rapid’s sales as diesel is the hot choice in the car market given the steep rise in petrol prices in recent times.

Since the Rapid will sit under the Vento in terms of price positioning, in line with Skoda being a brand that sits under Volkswagen, the car will have a few omissions in the features department, like the absence of steering mounted audio controls and the glossy chrome finish as opposed to the classier and consequently slightly more expensive matte chrome finish in the interiors. Even so, it would be quite interesting to see how the three variants of the Skoda Rapid Sedan, that give car buyers more choice, affect sales of the Volkswagen Vento.

Volkswagen for its part, has already responded to the Rapid Sedan, by trying to position the Vento as a more upmarket sedan, by endowing the top end diesel Highline variant of the Vento with three new features, all of them absent on the Rapid. While time would tell whether the Skoda Rapid has stepped on the Volkswagen Vento’s toes, tor now, you can check out a complete overview of the Skoda Rapid including variant specific details right here.

Share and Enjoy: