Skoda Rapid based on VW Vento begins production. Launch on 16th November, 2011

[Samurai]

Not a new policy for the industry. Even Ford & Mecury had the same parallel model deal.

[shankar.balan]

you know weve lived with Lambretta and Ape etc - so why not Lauretta?
I quite like the name in fact.
Should be a good car - would love to see what it looks like in real life
cheers

Originally Posted by noopster

Lauretta is a weird name all right. But from .

[noopster]

Lauretta is a bad name period. Forget the fact that it is not even a real name (google it up and you will get precious little hits) it is WAY too similar to an existing brand name in a higher category and that can only mean confusion and mixed messaging to the target group.

The Marketing MBA in me rebels at the very thought. Skoda really needs to do more focus groups and stuff before inflicting such labels on the world!

[amitg79]

Apart from the silly name, what changes are we looking at vis-a-vis the Vento? Will it have any changes to the suspension for a slightly sportier drive? Engine and gearbox will mostly be unchanged.

[Swanand Inamdar]

If that scoop pic is anything to go by, then this one looks very similar to the Vento. At least the side profile. Agreed, meatier front and back (probably because of the Skoda clothes), but still, a striking similarity to the Vento.

If the pricing is a bit less than the Vento (as speculated) and no ridiculous waiting periods, I suppose a lot of Vento buyers would/may shift to this.

But again, Lauretta? Seriously?

[noopster]

^^Why should the waiting periods be any different? It's made on the same production line!

Only reason is if the Skoda name scares off potential buyers (frankly in Mumbai/Pune I have seen far too many on the road to consider that as a serious factor) then possibly the wait may be less for the Lauretta Tdi compared to the Vento.

The car is exactly the same, bar the Skoda HU and some miscellaneous details.

The L&K, if and when it launches, should be an exciting proposition!

BTW, a lil birdy told me the Ambiente (lower end in Skoda) Lauretta also comes with an AT. Just the petrol, apparently.

If they launch this in diesel with AT, I will go strangle someone at VAG

[Monaro CV8]

Just read in today's 'Sakal' newspaper about the sales performance of a few India auto makers.
Surprisingly Skoda, M&M & Honda were the gainers!

No matter what and how the name of this car's gonna be, I'm sure it will give some tough competition to the other well established cars in this segment (specially the diesels).

And like noops & swanand mention - the various trims on offer & the delivery period is going to be a major decision making factor for prospective buyers.

IMO a majority of these buyers can be existing Skoda users, up graders from the Hatch segment, wait listed buyers for the long delivery period of the Vento/Fluidic Verna, etc.

Well, to quote a few e.gs. - 1. SI is now the brand man for Skoda
2. Yours truly is a big patron too (you see I'm still holding on to my 5.75 yr old beaut!)

cheers

[bala80]

Thanks noopster for the insight. The below piece is very disappointing. Seriously, there isnt much of choice in the diesel AT category below 10 lakhs and I was hoping skoda will address this with Lauretta. Is there any decent diesel sedan (Or for that matter even a hatch) that is available with AT below 10 lakhs? IMO Verna is priced too high for what it offers.

Anyways, glad to note that this is going to retain the same 1.6 TDI unit, is it also going to be only in Ambiente and Elegance trims for skoda (comparable to trendline and highline in vento)? Expected lauch dates if you have some information around it?

Originally Posted by noopster

BTW, a lil birdy told me the Ambiente (lower end in Skoda) Lauretta also comes with an AT. Just the petrol, apparently.

[ethanhunt123]

Originally Posted by bala80

Thanks noopster for the insight. The below piece is very disappointing. Seriously, there isnt much of choice in the diesel AT category below 10 lakhs and I was hoping skoda will address this with Lauretta. Is there any decent diesel sedan (Or for that matter even a hatch) that is available with AT below 10 lakhs? IMO Verna is priced too high for what it offers.

Anyways, glad to note that this is going to retain the same 1.6 TDI unit, is it also going to be only in Ambiente and Elegance trims for skoda (comparable to trendline and highline in vento)? Expected lauch dates if you have some information around it?

Very surprising considering Diesel AT will attract a lot of buyers due to hit in FE not hitting pocket too much compared to Petrol. But looking at the pricing of existing cars, i think the auto manufacturers feel they cant price a Diesel AT sedan below 10L, and its better to try and attract those customers to C+ segment.

But no way Verna is overpriced, its probably the best priced C segment Diesel sedan in the country right now with the ton of features it offers along with a perfect ride inside the city which most customers look for. On the other hand, look at Fiesta - that is one car which you can easily say is overpriced by 50-60k atleast. Ford will soon learn the lesson looking at the sales figures and bring in "special editions" or a big price cut like City.

[Swanand Inamdar]

@Noop: Lol, if Skoda comes up with a Diesel AT, you and many others would surely be p*ssed! I am sure the L&K will be launched eventually. But then, it would be interesting to see the price on the Lauretta L&K.

@Monaro: Mate, there are a lot more than me to take that title! Search here in TBHP itself. And do hold on to that monster. Dont you let it go. If you do, you know who all to update before you take any such step.

[rxpaul]

Octavia is a nice name and was the sister of Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar or Octavian. There are some nice names from ancient Rome which Skoda could use. On the other hand, Skoda should launch the new car in diesel automatic guise....it would be a bestseller.

[Sahil]

Skoda should offer an automatic diesel to differentiate itself from the Vento. Or vice versa.

P.S: Laurette is a horrible name ! Will piss a lot of Laura owners off.

[myavu]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Skoda C-Segment Sedan Named Lauretta | MotorBeam - Indian Car Bike News & Reviews

For me it simply looks like Fabia's face pasted to Vento.

They could have done something different.

Cheers!

Vinu

[John]

Lauretta is a popular Christian girl's name in India, especially southern states like Kerala.
The most common meaning associated with this name is the Italian version of Latin word Slayer, viz Demon slayer in the Bible.

....from Wikipedia

[noopster]

This is hilarious.

Excerpt:

Midsize Skoda saloon whose official name was behind the smoke, has now been evacuated out in the clear with the fact, that the vehicle that's going to hit the Indian car market is the Skoda Lauretta. Earlier, there were perplexions regarding the sedan name being Rapid or Lauretta. The news has been confirmed by the Editor of Autocar India Magazine Hormazd Sorabjee through tweet. So this Diwali, the celebrations are ought to be doubled, with Skoda Lauretta launching in October, which is considered to a big release of this year.

Boy am I glad T-BHP is hard on grammar violators