Skoda India today launched the Rapid TSI AT at a starting price of INR 9.49 lakhs, ex-sh
Bookings of the Rapid Petrol TSI AT had already commenced around couple of weeks ago, against a booking amount of INR 25,000. Skoda has confirmed that deliveries of the Rapid AT will commence from tomorrow (i.e. 18th September, 2020).
Priced aggressively from just Rs 9.49 lakhs, Rapid Automatic is the cheapest automatic sedan money can buy in the segment. It is even cheaper than Maruti Ciaz AT, which is priced from Rs 10 lakhs. Other automatic cars in the segment are Hyundai Verna, Honda City, Toyota Yaris and Volkswagen Vento. Below is a price comparison between of automatic variants of all sedans.
| Automatic Sedans | Price |
|---|---|
| Verna Petrol CVT | Rs 12 – 13.9 L |
| Verna Diesel 6AT | Rs 13.2 – 15.1 L |
| City Petrol CVT | Rs 12.2 – 14.5 L |
| Ciaz Petrol 4AT | Rs 10 – 11.2 L |
| Yaris Petrol CVT | Rs 9.6 – 14.3 L |
| Vento Petrol 6AT | Rs 12.1 – 13.3 L |
| Rapid Petrol 6AT | Rs 9.5 – 13.3 L |
Primary Update
The highlight of the Rapid TSI AT is the new 6-speed automatic transmission (torque converter unit, also found on the VW Vento) which has been introduced by Skoda. The engine is the same 1 litre turbo charged petrol motor which can dish out 109 hp and 175 Nm of peak torque and is found on manual variant of the Rapid too.
The new 6-speed automatic gearbox has been introduced as a replacement to VW group’s DSG unit, which still has its own dedicated fan-base in the country. However, as per Skoda’s claims, when compared to the previous 1.6 MPI powertrain, the new powertrain option is better in all major aspects.
The new Rapid AT has 14% additional torque and 5% additional power to offer. Despite the surge in output figures, Skoda has managed to improve the fuel efficiency (16.24 kmpl) of the new Rapid AT by 9% when compared to its pre-BS 6 counterpart. The above claims clearly showcase that while some enthusiasts might miss the DSG unit, the new Rapid AT TSI will still be a pretty good value proposition.
Rapid Automatic Variants and Prices
Rider Plus AT – Rs 9.49 lakhs
Ambition AT – Rs 11.29 lakhs
Onyx AT – Rs 11.49 lakhs
Style AT – Rs 12.99 lakhs
Monte Carlo AT – Rs 13.29 lakhs
* All prices are ex-sh
The BS6 compliant 2020 Skoda Rapid was launched earlier in May 2020 in 6 trims, namely Monte Carlo, Style, Onyx, Ambition, Rider Plus and Rider. However, up untill now, no AT option was on offer and all trim levels came along with a standard powertrain option which comprised of the 1 L turbocharged petrol motor and a 6-speed MT. Fuel efficiency of the MT variant stood at 18.97 kmpl.
Prior to the introduction of the 2020 Rapid, Skoda used to sell the Rapid with 2 engine options, a 1.5L TDI diesel and a 1.6L MPI petrol. The petrol motor was available with a 5-speed MT and a 6-speed AT. The diesel engine came along with a 5-speed MT and a 7-speed DSG unit. Post the BS6 transition, Skoda & VW both decided to remove the diesel engine option from their mid sized sedan line-ups.
