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

[mohandasnikhil]

I dont debate the Skoda horror stories of their sales and service backup. Infact I have faced similar problems with Skoda, fought with the dealer and come up trumps as well.
But ultimately more people in India especially the B towns, know of and regard Skoda as a more upmarket brand, as compared to VW which is a relatively new entrant into the India market. This might not be true in keeping with global positioning etc, but right now in India this seems to be the case. This is demonstrated by the Laura and Superb outselling the Jetta and Passat respectively.
But I completely agree that the company seriously needs to look into their dealer network!

Originally Posted by skjlives

...better recognized brand value?

VW is definitely a bigger/higher-up brand compared to Skoda. Their service levels are by far an unexplored animal since VW hasn't been around for long enough. Skoda has been around for much longer and they have (mis)used this time to build a pretty cra**y reputation for themselves with all kinds of customer horror stories (cheating/fake parts/overbilling/replacing genuine with spares or simply asking the customers to bugger off). And as they say, bad marketing is much worse off than no marketing, which i think sums up the VW/Skoda story well.

To my mind, Skoda has some kick-butt products in India and deserves to clock much higher numbers than it does but for it's service quality and after sales support. That the cars are still sold and some of them have a cult status among enthusiasts is just a testimony to the quality of the machines they produce.

Skoda India may launch all the cars they like but those cars will not be touched by a barge pole by a majority of buyers (even in relevant segments) who lay huge importance to ease of maintenance and peace of mind in terms of overall ownership experience. I am one of them - Dying to lay my hands on the Laura TSI since it is a killer machine (read all performance no non-sense frills) but have stayed on the sidelines with so much negativity around the brand and anything but confidence inspiring after sales track record. The company needs to literally overhaul their dealer/service network, rationalize spare costs and put customer satisfaction on top priority (like a certain Maruti Suzuki) to become a significant player in Indian auto, not keep launching/face-lifting one car after another!

[AirWind]

Well check the stats... Vento is leagues ahead of the Octy on BHP and torque; and just 5 BHP less/at par torque compared to the 2.0L Laura/Jetta, but almost 200 Kg's lighter, gives it an incredible PTWR and making it quicker!

Not to mention it is also priced a lot lesser than the Octy (Rider).

Originally Posted by JJames

Not sure why the proposed car is dubbed as "replacement" for Octavia. The Laura (in India) is in fact, the later version of Octavia, and is called Octavia worldwide. And, Skoda has stopped producing the old-Octavia in India (also removed it from the Skoda India website).
The Vento is lesser powered & spec-ed (when compared to the old Octavia), so it would be more apt to call the new car built on vento platform, as Skoda's attempt at entry-level C segment (or even a Fabia sedan), rather than as a replacement for Octavia.

[sidindica]

first test mule caught from carspyshots.com via motoroids.

[.anshuman]

^^ Sid i highly doubt it, this might be not be the car we are talking about here. This one has the body of Laura + VW front and Interiors, the Vento competitor is expected to be a smaller car.

[slalom]

If this is the new octy it's going to be great !
Any way the vento platform , with a new skin is going to be a great combination .

[nik_kapur]

I think thats the next gen Octavia/Laura hidden in the current gen body. Its not the Vento based car that we will get in India. The Vento competitor Skoda that we will get should similar in dimensions to the Vento and the car in the image is clearly larger. We must not forget, the next gen Laura/Octavia should also be around the corner as the Jetta is already out.

[vinaydas]

The above looks more like the laura replacement.
The Octavia replacement will probably have the ugly fabia with a boot setup.

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by vinaydas

The above looks more like the laura replacement.
The Octavia replacement will probably have the ugly fabia with a boot setup.

Isn't it unfair to term it ugly, without even seeing the car?

[vinaydas]

^^ as far as initial photos(speculations) are anything to go by. The car in my books is not much of a looker.I may be biased here but Polo is much more mature and handsome compared to the fabia hence to my eyes the vento is a decent looker.
But I could be wrong and the boot conversion could be a elegant one.

[.anshuman]

^^ No spy photos have come out till date. The only ones being speculated are Fabia with a DZire boot slapped using PS.

[MaserQ]

Looks like the Laura (Octavia II in Europe) update. The Fabia is built on a Polo platform, so I guess an Octavia replacement in India would be a fabia with a boot as mentioned above.

[vineethvazhayil]

Is it just me or does that one really look like the previous generation Corolla from the side profile? This one looks to have bigger dimensions than the Vento.. Probably won't be what we are going to get here.

[thedreamcatcher]

I highly doubt the car in the pics above is going to be the new Octavia. Does not have the Skoda theme to it, and is more inclined towards the VW side.

From the rear 3 quarts, it can pass out to be a Skoda, but the whole front screams VW and the interiors as well.

Whatever the car it be, one thing odd though is the bulging out head unit

[Abhi_Automobile]

Guys,

I am really confused. This seems to have VW interiors and similar front end. Skodas never tends to do that. There is a distinct Skoda flavour in all their cars.

Also, this looks much bigger. How in the hell is Skoda going to price this below Vento? It's clear now that ALL SKODA CARS WILL BE PRICED BELOW THEIR VW COUNTERPARTS. So, I doubt if this is the right pick.

[2cents]

The radiator grille is definitely VW, not the vertical Skoda grille. Aren't the logo in the steering and rear hatch VW!!?? Or is it just me??