Update - The purportedly India-bound Skoda Fabia has been spied in China by Autohome, who report that the local premiere will be conducted at the Shanghai Auto Show next month.
The 1.6-liter engine in the car will be tuned for a maximum output power of 110 hp, served with either a five-speed or six-speed manual.
Will make a comeback in a "premium avatar".
Skoda pulled the plug on the Fabia in 2013 - the brand's only hatchback offering - owing to poor sales and heavy losses. However, MoneyControl, in a new video that reviews the car maker's business performance, says that the VW Polo-based hatchback will be making a comeback in a "premium avatar" and that the company has confirmed it.
It's unspecified whether Skoda will bring back a modified version of the previous generation (SK 250), or launch the latest model (SK 260) that made its world debut at the 2014 Paris Motor Show. If the company decides to launch the latter, it will stay in line with Skoda's latest design philosophy - as seen in cars like the Octavia, Yeti and the soon-to-be-launched Superb.
No proper timeframe of its re-launch has been confirmed, but until now the company has vociferously defended that the Rapid would be the volumes car.
The company changed its position of being a mass market player to a budget luxury auto brand last year. While this move has reduced the volume of cars pushed out of its plant in Aurangabad, the profit margins have increased. This was possible by delinking the pricing strategy of parent brand Volkswagen. Skoda is now focusing on market-driven pricing, company CEO Sudhir Rao says.
Also Read: New Skoda Fabia Combi enters production in Czech Republic
Skoda is not the only brand that is mulling to relaunch a discontinued nameplate. Honda is also bringing back the Jazz premium hatchback after it was discontinued in early 2013 due to similar reasons faced by the Fabia.
[Source: MoneyControl]
