Skoda is all set to bring in its second product under the INDIA 2.0 project on 18th Nov – Here are first official design sketches
Recently, Skoda confirmed that it has finally ended the production run of the Rapid in India. This is part of its plan in which it is gearing up to bring in the Slavia, which will be Rapid’s spiritual successor. Rapid was sale on sale for about 10 years, during which it generated sales of over 1 lakh in India.
Skoda Slavia Official Design Sketches
Skoda has already revealed the tentative dimensions of the Slavia. It is to be noted that these values are of the pre-homologated car and actual dimensions of the production-spec version might vary a little.
From what we know, the Slavia will be larger than the Rapid in all dimensions. When compared with its competition, it will either be the largest or the second largest in terms of length, width, height and wheelbase. The larger dimensions will help Skoda to portray the Slavia as a premium product in its segment.
In terms of design, it looks lot more sportier than the Rapid. It gets sharp edges like elder siblings Octavia and Superb. Under the hood, the Slavia will be sharing its powertrain with the Kushaq. However, Skoda has confirmed that the powertrain options have been further refined and retuned to adapt to the driving dynamics of the Slavia.
Skoda Slavia Engine options will include 2 petrol motors, a 1 litre turbo charged 3 cylinder engine which will be able to dish out 114 bhp and 175 Nm of peak torque. The other option would be a 1.5 litre TSI turbo petrol which will be churning out 148 bhp and 250 Nm of max torque. A 6-speed MT will be offered as standard across the range. A 6-speed torque converter AT will be offered on the 1 litre motor while the 1.5 litre engine will be getting a 7-speed DSG as an option.
Up until recently we had seen the car only via regular spyshots. Skoda recently revealed photos of the car in its own signature camouflage. It had also arranged a small media drive for the Work In Progress units of the Slavia, similar to the one it had done for the Kushaq ahead of its launch.
From the official photos and videos, we get to see some of the key highlights of the Slavia. These include LED headlamps with integrated DRLs, all-black butterfly grille, a subtle dash of chrome on the front, coupe like roofline, LED tail-lamps and sporty alloys.
Skoda Slavia Competition
Post its launch, Slavia will be competing with the likes of Honda City, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and Hyundai Verna. Two other upcoming competitors of the Slavia would be the Toyota badged Ciaz, which will mostly be called the Belta and Slavia’s cousin from Volkswagen. While some trims of the Rapid provided immense Value for Money, due to their aggressive pricing, we don’t think that Slavia too will be launched with a similar strategy.
Slavia will mostly be showcased and priced as a premium sedan in its segment and hence could draw a pricing premium as well. Reports suggest that Skoda will however keep Slavia’s pricing under that of the Kushaq, which could be good news for perspective sedan buyers!
