[shashank.nk]

This is an Octavia replacement ? Seriously Its a confused car at best! Vento like rear and Fabia-ish front, seriously the old Octavia looked far better than this.

Skoda will give more features than what the Vento offers on the Rapid i guess, because VW group is trying to position Skoda as a more VFM brand and Volkswagen a Premium brand

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

This is an Octavia replacement ? Seriously Its a confused car at best! Vento like rear and Fabia-ish front, seriously the old Octavia looked far better than this.

This is not exactly a Octavia replacement, but a car to fill the gap between Fabia and Laura. Also, remember this car is priced and positioned in a segment lower. The original Octavia replacement in International markets is Laura(Called second gen Octavia in other markets).

Rapid is a Vento with Skoda styling touches with minimum changes, so it will look, feel and drive like a Vento.

Skoda will give more features than what the Vento offers on the Rapid i guess, because VW group is trying to position Skoda as a more VFM brand and Volkswagen a Premium brand

VW is trying to position Skoda as a VFM brand to counter the premium image associated with Skoda brand. VW is finding it hard to compete with Skoda in premium segment, see Superb vs Passat sales figures(Jetta figures post initial deliveries will be interesting to look at), but in sub 10 lakh Rupee segment the Premium brand is managing better volumes.

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Rapid is a Vento with Skoda styling touches with minimum changes, so it will look, feel and drive like a Vento.



VW is trying to position Skoda as a VFM brand to counter the premium image associated with Skoda brand. VW is finding it hard to compete with Skoda in premium segment, see Superb vs Passat sales figures(Jetta figures post initial deliveries will be interesting to look at), but in sub 10 lakh Rupee segment the Premium brand is managing better volumes.

Like you said the Laura was the replacement for the Octavia but Skoda India cleverly decided not to discontinue the original Octavia till 2010, but nonetheless their strategy worked. So the Rapid looks like a vento, is priced similar to a Vento(may be a little less) and overall feel will be like a vento. Will be interesting to see how the car does once launched.

Could it be because the Fabia in its initial days of launch was expensive for a hatch, and our market was not mature to pay so much for a hatchback ? The Polo released much later when the market had warmed up to the idea of paying 7+ lakhs for a hatch, not taking into consideration the other factors.

[volkman10]

Rapid commences production in Pune, market introduction in mID November.

"The sedan is manufactured at the Volkswagen plant in Chakan, Pune where its cousin Vento, Skoda Fabia and VW Polo are currently being made. The first production cars are rolling out of the plant already and the market launch is scheduled in mid-November.

Cheers!

http://http://indianautosblog.com/20...duction-begins

[Shreyance]

Originally Posted by PPS

According to Siddharth Patankar of NDTV, the Rapid is more spacious than the Vento. Lets wait & see whether Skoda has skimped on features or not. He tweeted the following pics.

Attachment 823749

Attachment 823750

I wonder how they are going to pull that one off. If they have to make it more spacious, its more than just cosmetic surgery and that means major re-engineering. Im skeptical about that. Lets see, when the car is actually released.

Originally Posted by one-77

I was thinking quite on the reverse. Who would buy the Rapid, when the Vento is only marginally more expensive?
The Vento has a better badge (VW vs Skoda), marginally better ***, and a little more character (the Octy replacement thingy is a joke, and a poor one at that!).
All this is of course unless the Rapid is significantly better kitted out. (But looking at the Fabia and the Polo, that seems quite unlikely).

Thats was precisely the point, I was trying to make. It goes both ways doesn't it? Who'll buy Rapid, if the difference is just marginal and who'll buy Vento, if the difference is more than marginal.

[puchoo]

A bit of a plane Jane , i like the front and the fog lamps appear to be quite big giving it a solid yet regal appearance but the rear is very simple. The legroom in the back seemed quite sufficient in the NDTV video but too early to really have an opinion or consensus on anything.

About 1 month off from what early reports suggested i.e launch by Mid October or so in the Indian market.

[ACM]

Mods since the Rapid (now formally announced) isn't really an Octavia replacement but really a new car a segment lower in the Vento category the thread should be renamed appropriately.

[ACM]

Originally Posted by puchoo

A bit of a plane Jane , i like the front and the fog lamps appear to be quite big giving it a solid yet regal appearance but the rear is very simple. The legroom in the back seemed quite sufficient in the NDTV video but too early to really have an opinion or consensus on anything.

About 1 month off from what early reports suggested i.e launch by Mid October or so in the Indian market.

Yep but though plane Jane compared to the Laura does it not look more attractive then the Vento which possibly leads the plane Jane pack.

Historically the Skoda cars have been model to model a bit better looking compared to their VW equivalents while being priced lower.

[puchoo]

Agreed it is more attractive looking than the Vento atleast from the front , i am not sure about the rear and guess will need to see the car to be able to ascertain.

Originally Posted by ACM

Yep but though plane Jane compared to the Laura does it not look more attractive then the Vento which possibly leads the plane Jane pack.

.

[ACM]

Originally Posted by puchoo

Agreed it is more attractive looking than the Vento atleast from the front , i am not sure about the rear and guess will need to see the car to be able to ascertain.

The Rear has the Laura and Fabia C Shaped [ ] lights in a simpler design than the Laura and a boot that seems like a mini Laura or a Vento sister.

Decent Overall - give it a few more points than the Vento.

[ethanhunt123]

Well, if its mechanically the same car with a lower price; it should do well. Skoda has an brand image which is as good if not better than VW in India. Also, in my personal experience, i have found Skoda dealers to be more responsive than the arrogant bunch of VW dealers.

Both Laura and Superb have done better than Jetta/Passat in India (I know this month's Jetta numbers are better than Laura but i still think Laura will continue to outsell Jetta). Only Fabia hasnt done well compared to Polo, but Fabia developed an image of expensive car with its optimistic pricing initially.

[C300]

Love those curves. Looks very nice and upmarket. VW is going all out to create a volume product.

[Chetan_Rao]

I can't decide whether that car actually looks better than the Vento, or is the shade playing tricks on me?

[90BHP]

I would still prefer the Vento styling anyday, unless Skoda can do something about the rear transmission box.

[Hayek]

Originally Posted by one-77

I was thinking quite on the reverse. Who would buy the Rapid, when the Vento is only marginally more expensive?..... quite unlikely).

You and Shreyance just proved why VW's strategy works. There are takers for each product.