[TusharK]

Skoda seems to have lined up a new special edition of the Rapid for this festive season. The car is called the Matte Edition.



The Skoda Rapid Matte Edition is likely to get a Matte Grey exterior with Glossy Black highlights on the front grille, front and boot spoilers. The special edition variant will also receive gloss black 16-inch alloy wheels, a sporty diffuser and black ORVMs. On the inside, the car will come with black Alcantara seat covers.

The mechanicals of the Matte Edition will be identical to the standard Rapid. The car will be powered by a 1.0-litre, turbocharged, 3-cylinder petrol engine that produces 108 BHP and 175 Nm. It could be paired with either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic gearbox.

Skoda has also updated its Octavia and Superb line-up with new feature additions.

Thanks to the Team-BHP fan (he prefers to remain anonymous) who sent this image in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP share page!

Link to Team-BHP News

[VWAllstar]

Looks really good. to Automobile Brands providing such desirable mods from the factory even though it will cater to a niche market.

As per my talk to a sales agent in Mumbai, this will be in limited numbers and they already have similar plans for Kushaq. May be to compete with Seltos X line.

Originally Posted by TusharK

On the inside, the car will come with black Alcantara seat covers.

What are Alcantara Seats? I suppose they were also in the Allstar Variant of Vento. However, could never find more details about it over the internet.

[TheVegabond]

I went to Skoda showroom to checkout the Kushaq and there was a Rapid in dual tone - white with black roof. It had gloss black alloys to go with the all black interiors. It looked stunning. I strongly feel that the Rapid is a great value for your money. For someone looking for a fun to drive sedan, the Rapid makes a lot of sense.

[amol4184]

Originally Posted by VWAllstar

What are Alcantara Seats? I suppose they were also in the Allstar Variant of Vento. However, could never find more details about it over the internet.

Suede like soft touch material for seat covers.

https://elegantautoretail.com/collec...12819185106988

They call it Nubuck for some reason but that's Alcantara.

[Reinhard]

Ah, another of those "editions" from S-VW. But this one I guess is a more significant one. Easily identifiable and matte sure looks good if maintained properly. I'm just pleased that newer models are now arriving in the form of Kushaq, upcoming Slavia and so on. Hopefully we'll be spared of these frequent editions henceforth.

[GTO]

Damn, that looks smoking hot! First the Seltos and now this Rapid . This is a trend that will catch on with other manufacturers too. I've been toying with the idea of getting a matte grey wrap on my car and these launches are really tempting me.

Do keep the maintenance requirements in mind. Was shared by BHPian anb on the Seltos thread:

[Axe77]

While they look ravishingly good, matte Colors are just exponentially higher to maintain. Anyone choosing these should be well aware of this aspect. I have a matte black bike as well as matte white and black helmet. As far as possible I would like my next ride to be a gloss color.

Kudos to Skoda for keeping the Rapid enticing looking but really these are now band aid fixes. They really need to get the next gen Rapid here pronto.

[JoshMachine]

Originally Posted by VWAllstar

What are Alcantara Seats? I suppose they were also in the Allstar Variant of Vento.

Do check out their website - https://www.alcantara.com/

Alcantara seat / material is a very unique type of fabric that's warm in winters and cool in summers. I have personally experienced this in some cars while in Europe, both in winters and summers. And it felt quite good.
The material appears to be same as what we call "suede" leather in India, but it is not. Alcantara is increasingly getting to be the darling of auto car makers due to its premium feeling, durability and general fatigue resistance.

[shancz]

Looks good.

My two-wheelers are both matte grey. Find it ages quite well and the fiber parts still look like new after 10 and 4 years on each. Didn't do any specific maintenance, tried to polish the scooter as an experiment, best avoided.

Sharing the first car I saw(online) which really blew me away in the matte grey shade, the curves look smashing IMHO.
Credits to Providers : Wikipedia : Alfa Romeo Brera

[saisree]

Love this color and it looks stunning. Hope the sales charts go north Rapidly. I have a Matt Grey helmet and I know the pain of maintaining it. Slightest of a scratch is very prominent.


Don't want to see any dealer doing this Vinayak Skoda sells fake Rapid Black edition. EDIT: Replaced with a new car

[PrasannaDhana]

Dear Tata,

Learn from Skoda.

Instead of tacky and lame gold editions, do something like this.

Rapid has always been a looker. It becomes hotter with this paint job. Not many cars can be as eye catchy like the Monte Carlo red Rapid and I am sure matte grey will also be similar.

[AKSarkar1]

Very very tastefully done! When I first read the thread I was just hoping that this edition is not like one of those cringe VW Vento editions that we have seen during the last decade e.g. Vento IPL Special Edition

Škoda really did an amazing job with this one!

[Arnav612]

Beautiful!

Skoda sure is getting simply clever. The once coined jaded looking Rapid has only evolved over the years, and how! Absolutely love this edition especially so since there's no other cheesy flashy colour like the Seltos matte grey. It's going to attract quite a bit of the young crowd, but the required maintenance is a horror for ones relying on local folks for regular washes.

All in all, smart move to attract customers looking for understated distinction

[Muscle Boyy]

VAG and Tata are masters when it comes to launching special editions of thir existing cars frequently. Probably this would be the last edition(or an update for that matter) before the company launches its replacement. It remains to be seen how those new sedans will survive in our markets where Sedans are losing popularity.

[Venkatesh]

Skoda Rapid Matte edition will be launched later in October. The model was recently showcased at a private event.



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