[Reinhard]

Am I sad about the news? Yes of course since these are wonderful cars to drive and even just to look at!

However - relatively speaking, I'm happier about the news since India is reaching the level of emission norms that the earth desperately needs. I'm also happy to see that this will block the dirty dumping techniques by many manufacturers (not just car makers for that matter) - where the manufacturer keeps on selling environmentally harmful products to some markets simply because the regulations are not updated. So much for environmentally responsible behaviour.

[ostreichwein]

Bright side for Audi here is an opportunity to bring in the new A3 as it gives them some flex in terms of positioning.

With the Superb and Octavia on sale, the A3 has little chance to be competitive.

Also, perhaps a zero-sum game that way for VW Group if the A3 is priced (pre-discounts) at par with the Superb.

[adi_gt]

I see this a sad news for car enthusiasts (where "car" means a sedan). But I sense this as an opportunity to get an Octy for myself with some sweet discounts around Feb/March. Let me start the negotiations right away

[DicKy]

Is this Skoda India's Honda India moment?

Though Skoda/VW does bring in CBUs for halo use and the Kodiaq/Tiguan will continue to sell, it is still sad that they are axing off the Octavia and Superb. That too when they are the top sellers of whatever is remaining of their respective sedan segments.

The BS6.2 looks to be just as a killer of models as the BS6 was. Rationalising down consumer choices, yet most companies are not using the 2500/year import quota for whatever reason.

Can't wrap my head around the fact that the 2.0TDI diesel is still being sold in the place where our emission norms are being based on. Europe!!!, yet we don't have it.

[sunikkat]

Well indeed sad news for sedan lovers. The last of the true sedans (below premium segment) are getting axed too. But honestly dont think Skoda will have a real business case to upgrade to the emission norms considering the market for sedan is anyway dead.
If I was in market would have picked up straight away without wasting time. Octavia and Superb are keepers and can easily be kept for 10 years. They age really well.

Originally Posted by automowheels

I anticipate heavy discounts towards Feb-March if they are indeed being discontinued, which might make buying the Octavia very appealing!

Originally Posted by adi_gt

I But I sense this as an opportunity to get an Octy for myself with some sweet discounts around Feb/March. Let me start the negotiations right away

I doubt there will be much discounts by Feb/March. With the current supply constraints there are anyway lesser vehicles in stock. I am sure Skoda will further reduce the production to avoid the over supply situation. So most likely the stocks might go off even before Q1 next year. Just assumption though.

Originally Posted by ganeshsp

I have booked Octavia L&K and is expected to be delivered in September. This news concerns me a lot. Appreciate expert opinions on my questions below.

Please advise.

• Is it a good idea to go forward with the decision? Will there be a hit on the resale value? (i.e more than the usual depreciation): If I was in your place, would have definitely gone ahead with Octavia if I was planning to keep it for long (say > 5 years). If my plan is to keep it lesser than 5 years, then might not. Very hard to predict resale in current environment, it can even go up consdering there will be no good sedans in the market.
• Given that the Octavia shares common parts with Kodiaq and Tiguan, is it safe to assume that spares availability should not be a concern?: Again, I dont see any challenge in spares for Octavia. Being a CKD, there will be waiting period but availability will be there. However the parts availability in after market is really good. My Octavia is 6+ years old now and I source parts faster from my independent garage than Skoda.
• Would Skoda bring back the facelifted Octavia with the updated powertrains (e.g hybrid) to keep the brand Octavia alive?: Difficult to predict.
• Jetta, Passat too have faced the same fate. Can the current owners confirm if there are difficulties sourcing spares or finding better value in the Used car market?: Jetta parts are easily available in the after market similar to Octavia. Many in my closed circle owns Jetta and they have never faced any challenge from VW or after market to source the parts. But VW did have some wait time.
• Even with the models like T-Roc and Karoq, VW group mentioned that they have no intention to bring them back to India again. What similarities should I draw with Octavia please?: Octavia being a more common model globally and in India, I would expect it to be more easy to maintain than T-Roc or Karoq which were CBUs.

[ganeshsp]

I have booked Octavia L&K and is expected to be delivered in September. This news concerns me a lot. Appreciate expert opinions on my questions below.

- Is it a good idea to go forward with the decision? Will there be a hit on the resale value? (i.e more than the usual depreciation)
- Given that the Octavia shares common parts with Kodiaq and Tiguan, is it safe to assume that spares availability should not be a concern?
- Would Skoda bring back the facelifted Octavia with the updated powertrains (e.g hybrid) to keep the brand Octavia alive?
- Jetta, Passat too have faced the same fate. Can the current owners confirm if there are difficulties sourcing spares or finding better value in the Used car market?
- Even with the models like T-Roc and Karoq, VW group mentioned that they have no intention to bring them back to India again. What similarities should I draw with Octavia please?

Having owned an XUV500 previously, I do not want to look at SUVs once again. I'm very particular about wanting a sedan only. I liked the driving experience of Virtus, but the quality levels are not up to the expectation I have known about the VWs and Skoda's.

Please advise.

[itwasntme]

BMW, Mercedes Benz and last (but not the least) Audi will be celebrating at this news!

On a serious note, this is terrible news for sedan-lovers.

[ananbanka]

Considering the Superb is already INR ~45L, and the Octavia is already INR ~37L (in Bangalore at least) on road, the EA888 evo4 DQ381-7A upgrade would reduce their value-for-money proposition only further.

These cars put together have had average sales of under 300 units per month since the last six months (https://www.v3cars.com/skoda-cars-monthly-sales), and higher prices won't help increase that number, regardless of the upgrades offered.

Elantra's launch in India has also been put on hold to concentrate on the new Verna which is fairly bigger and planning to be positioned as a blurring line into Elantra's segment. (https://www.autocarindia.com/car-new...w-verna-425345)

It is sad to see genuinely good cars being axed because of ill-timed government requirements. I guess the only good thing that might come out of this decision is good discounts being offered in March/April in case of unsold stock on the cars.

[supermax]

Kind of sad, but it had to happen at some point, with Skoda/VW facing the squeeze in more than one place. VW is all about finding a successful formula and using it across brands, instead of coming up with custom solutions for each brand and/or market it is sold in, with some exceptions of course. The sedan concept is rapidly dying the world over. Sweden for instance has always preferred estates, and that's why there's not a single sedan offering from the Skoda stables in Sweden; every imaginable model/trim across both Octavia and Superb only exists as estate offerings. India, with its questionable road quality, would never be a country where estates worked well, so crossovers are the deal. Even tiny crossovers get the SUV badge in India and get lapped up easily, so the Kushaq was a no-brainer. For the die-hard sedan lovers, there's still the Slavia, though it's not in the same class. The Octavia/Superb may eventually make a comeback in their plugin hybrid (PHEV) avatars, but their sticker prices may well mean they are dead on arrival, failing to inspire any big demand.

[vinu_h]

My Superb is a year+ old and has been nothing but nice to me. Hate for this news to be true. Resale value will plummet now, more importantly the bad after sales will become even worse.

[Deep Blue]

That is sad news. I hope Skoda/VW does not follow suit after their sedans. Just the other day, I was ogling at a Superb. Such an elegant car.
I do hope Skoda/VW will bring in nice electric sedan in its place.

[dragracer567]

Most people won't like what I have to say but the primary issue is that Indians are just not rich enough to afford to buy Rs 30 Lakh + cars in large numbers. Hence, cars that are considered economy cars in the rest of the world such as the Corolla, Civic, Camry, Octavia etc are way beyond the reach of the common man in India.

Even for popular cars like the Fortuner, Toyota actually sells similar or more Fortuners in Thailand and Indonesia each per month as compared to what they do in India despite these having less than 1/10th India's population and the Fortuner in itself is the largest selling car north of 30 lakhs in India. With such a small spending power, India is not a viable market for most global car products.

[Nilesh5417]

The end of D-segment sedans is here then.

Hyundai also isnt considering the new Elantra anymore - news here:
https://www.autocarindia.com/car-new...w-verna-425345

All logical reasons aside, the Indian market is getting extremely skewed in terms of manufacturers and body styles. I don't think this is good for the consumer with prices already very high and options disappearing each passing year.

While we can blame manufacturers for not keeping up and not doing enough to capture a market like India, i do feel the market is conducive enough for many brands. The shift away from ICE to meet ever tightening emission norms / fuel requirements has made it even more difficult for most. Hopefully the local brands like Tata and Mahindra seize this opportunity to offer world class products manufactured locally at competitive prices. Until they do, it's not going to be the same for atleast the enthusiast!

[Durango Dude]

It's good news with the prices of these cars reaching the stratosphere and their up keep is keeping fingers crossed. But India is rather optimistic when it comes to emission norms ground reality being the total opposite: may be India likes telling the West: "See mine is stiffer than yours (emission norms)". We keep burning all sorts of crops, garbage and stuff and Govt literally turns a Nelson's eye to all that but when it comes to norms they are real tight. On paper the norms are rather tight but a whiff of "Delhi's Air" will tell the truth! If you want so tight norms why allow diesels; Ban them too? You mean to say a Tata or Mahindra 2 liter diesel pollutes less than petrol??

[GForceEnjoyer]

Two D segment sedans gone in one fell swoop! That's tragic; having a Superb in our garage, I can confidently say it's one of the best VFM executive sedans that can give far more expensive cars a run for their money. This leaves the Camry as the only D segment sedan in India. Ever since the axing of the Accord, there have been no more entrants into the D1 and D2 sedan segment. It's been one death after another. Really sad!