[volkman10]

After reports of VW's plan to curb Skoda's plans, here is a twist.

Skoda India reports to bring two hatches for the Indian market. One is the anticpated New 2015 Fabia.
The second is a new hatch based on the Rapid platform and l with a high local content.Development of the new hatchback is expected to begin in about 6-9 months from now.

Eventually, the company could look at both hatchback and a smaller sedan to get volumes.

http://www.financialexpress.com/news...-car/1264821/1

[arnabchak]

Hoonestly, this was one brand I really wanted to succeed in India. A success story like Hyundai was exactly what I had wished for.

Alas, it was not to be.
They had and still have a great product line and some more in the anvil.

The Octavia and the RS were scorchers when they were launched in 200Xs.
The Laura was a good car and Superb still leads its segment.
Rapid looks better specced than the mighty City.

Fabia was a car that failed because of ill marketing and not because of the product per se.

• Skoda should have capitalised on the initial good will.
• They should have not rested on past VW glories and consolidated. They had the platform. The intention wasn't there!!
• The initial success should have given them the freedom to experiment more with products. They experimented with people.
• They should have cared for the customer grievances. They instead cared for their egos
• I have driven their cars and they bring a smile to your face.

I just hoped wishes could be horses. I just wished their mega plans succeeded.



Yet, it is too little and too late. Image once lost cannot be regained in totality. Skoda had lost the golden chance and now cementing the place within this competitive and unforgiving market will not be possible.


How I wished you had succeded!!

[Bluebeem]

Not sure if skoda's mega plans are entirely convincing.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/showthread.php?t=152418

Skoda planning to shut shop in india? Because of their poor customer loyalty for obvious reasons I suppose.

[volkman10]

Rapid will be the model that Skoda would focus on, but will follow the plans that VW has for Vento, but has no immediate plans on bringing a sub 4 m sedan.

The Rapid will instead be given upgrades to try and make it a high-selling product.
The updated car that is expected soon will get a new engine in the form of Volkswagen's new 1.5-litre diesel. The upcoming Skoda Rapid will also get the option of a DSG automatic 'box that will first be seen on the new VW Vento diesel. The Indian Rapid will retain the styling cues of the European model and possibly get more engine options and variants in the future.

Skoda India will continue to sell the Yeti, Superb and the Octavia as the premium packages they are.

http://www.autocarindia.com/auto-new...ia-389307.aspx

[volkman10]

Confused Skoda - India now plans to bring the New Fabia to India as a premium hatch - Hyundai's Elite effect!

The company confirms that it is looking to relaunch the Fabia in a premium avatar, a move that could prove to be a defining moment for the car maker

http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/cnb...a_1325440.html

[volkman10]

Skoda India to launch new products every year - -post 2018?

The new Fabia hatchback launched globally in 2014 may only make its way here sometime in 2018

An entry-level car positioned below midsize sedan Rapid is, however, a couple of years away

Czech car maker Skoda Auto is looking to reinforce its value luxury positioning in the Indian market by launching one or two new products every fiscal in the next few years.
The company would not add to its network of 66 sales and 74 service outlets. Expansion would take place only onwards of 2018.

http://auto.economictimes.indiatimes...-year/50726747

[The Rationalist]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Skoda India to launch new products every year - -post 2018?
http://auto.economictimes.indiatimes...-year/50726747

No more service centers would be added and the emphasis would be strengthening the brand positioning through digital marketing it seems! So more cars would be sold digitally and serviced digitally? Are these guys for real? What kind of strategy is this? How many of the buyers would buy just because the digital presence is good? By 2018 Skoda India can very well wind up their operations here if such geniuses are running the show.

[Mad Max]

They are a bloody joke. Maybe they have learnt from our esteemed political class about saying things they don't mean. Just look back at this thread and you'll see the seriousness of lack thereof.

Amazing products, excellent VFM cars let down by an amazingly stupid management and inept customer service.

[arjab]

Wouldn't be surprised if the about to be launched VW AMEO sub 4m sedan is re-badged as a Skoda "xxxx" one year down the line and pushed into the market.
Revamp of existing Rapid, mimicking European Rapid's nose and tail, is underway.
Also it seems that Skoda India is very keen to re-enter the hatch segment and for this they are looking at a new vehicle, built to strict cost targets to achieve unit profitability which the outgoing Fabia never enjoyed. A completely new "upper body", (a la Bolt & Zest), on the outgoing Fabia's platform is not being ruled out either.

[volkman10]

Skoda charts premium product strategy for revival in India.

Three new products will be launched in India over the next one year. It does not plan to re-enter the small car category for the next two years.

Kodiaq will be the highlight for 2017.

the new streamlined organisation is ready to work on a turnaround and this will be driven by sedans such as Rapid and Superb.

The company, which has 65 dealerships across 43 cities, is looking to close the year with sales of around 16,000 units, “which should go up to 20,000 units next year.

Source

[volkman10]

Skoda plans to launch a series of sportier models based on its existing sedans over the next few months - 2017.



Skoda Rapid Monte Carlo is likely to be the next launch, besides this Skoda is set to launch a sportier iteration of the Octavia, the Octavia Black and the full-blown Octavia RS.

Link

[motorworks]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Skoda charts premium product strategy for revival in India.

Three new products will be launched in India over the next one year. It does not plan to re-enter the small car category for the next two years.

Kodiaq will be the highlight for 2017.




Source

The strategy of being perceived premium would surely work for Skoda. Not many people know that the Rapid is a clone of the Vento, it may sound absurd but it's true. Secondly the perception of Skoda being premium still exists and people even perceive it to be more expensive than VW! I was recently traveling with my colleague who himself has a City which he bought for some 12 lakhs, but he thought the Rapid was supposedly more expensive, whereas it isn't so! Similarly, back home in my native, Coimbatore, Skoda commands premium too, thanks to the huge fan following for the 1st gen Octavia! So VW shouldn't try to bring Skoda down the price ladder and they actually cannot since they do not have any value offering anyway.

[volkman10]

Lost on the craze for C/SUV's worldwide, Skoda plans to get on track with more models planned to close the gap.

Skoda shows its plans for China. All SUV's will be manufactured locally at the Shanghai-Volkswagen joint venture, for the Chinese market.

A few of them could trickle to India too,



1. Kodiaq - Complements VW's Tiguan

2. Model Q- Successor to the current Yeti - will grow biiger and positioned a segment higher.


3. Model K - A NEW budget SUV on the current YETI platform

4. Kodiaq Coupe - A sporty 5 seat Coupe will be the flagship of the Skoda SUV line up in China.



Link

[volkman10]

Skoda India plans to ride on parent Volkswagen’s partnership with Tata Motors for a bigger play in the compact vehicles segment.

It is looking to make a comeback into the high-volume small car category, while driving in a mini-SUV and an entry sedan.

The vehicles may hit the roads from 2019 and would be a culmination of the joint product strategy with Tata Motors. Skoda may target the mass segment with this new range

Link

[GTO]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Skoda India plans to ride on parent Volkswagen’s partnership with Tata Motors for a bigger play in the compact vehicles segment.

Isn't Skoda terribly confused on what it wants to be in India? A year or two back, Skoda India announced that it wants to focus on the 'premium' segment. Now, it wants to go the mass-market way via platform-sharing with Tata.

Personally, I think it's a waste of time & unnecessary distraction for Tata. The Indian company is finally showing signs of revival with competent cars. Why partner with Skoda...a 'has been' in India?