Skoda has silently slipped in another variant of the Fabia named ‘Scout’ into its Indian lineup since yesterday. This is not a complete surprise to us as the company has showcased the Scout variant at the Auto Expo fitted with the Vento’s diesel engine. Skoda soft launched the car as it may have considered the Auto Expo showcasing as its Indian premiere.
Don’t let the name play with your imagination! The Fabia Scout is the regular Fabia with the following features -
- Projector headlamps
- Front bumper with spoiler
- Rear bumper with diffuser
- Protective cladding around the car
- Front and rear door sill trims
- Stainless steel pedal set
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This story is of high relevance to the Indian market as the European version of the Rapid could be brought to India in the future as an extension to the Rapid brand. This was communicated to us by Mr Thomas Kuehl of Skoda India at a recent press conference in Mumbai.
Skoda launched a rebadged Vento in India last year with the Rapid brand name but the European model has many more changes including a different rear end.
Thomas Kuehl has been leading the Indian operations of Skoda for over two-and-a-half years now. Recently, the IAB Team caught up with him at the Superb Ambition launch to discuss Skoda India future. Here is what he had to say:
1) Skoda as a brand is changing its image. What’s in-store for the future?
We are working hard to bring something fresh and new to the table. We are going to change the whole appearance of Skoda. The new design language of Skoda, the Mission L, is a start. We have a new logo and its fresh and bright. We will have a new appearance of dealerships with new modular systems and new processes in place. It is done to cater to our slogan – ‘Simply Clever’
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IndianAutosBlog.com may have brought you all the details of the Skoda Superb Ambition last week, but only today did Skoda formally launch this variant. Our Mumbai man Kaustubh is at hand giving us all the details.
To make sure that it doesn’t look cheap, Skoda has not cut down on the chrome content on the Skoda Superb Ambition. Interiors are perhaps the best in class with ivory nappa leather seats that are 12-way adjustable with memory function. The Ambition variant caters to the chauffeur-driven segment, and has a sun blind for the rear seat passenger.
Showcased as the MissionL Concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year, Skoda has two editions of the Rapid sedan. The first model is specially for India, heavily based on the Volkswagen Vento (Polo sedan to overseas readers). In fact the Rapid is just a Vento with redesigned front and rear fascias.
[Skoda offers the Rapid at a much lower price compared to the Vento, missing out only marginally on the equipment. Neglecting the pride of owning a Volkswagen (a prestigious German brand), why should you pay extra for a Vento when the same car is available through Skoda for a cheaper price? Unless your local Skoda dealer has a history of horror stories or is located at a far away distance, there's no reason why the Rapid can't emerge as a hands down winner. These products are dead identical and the Rapid, dare I say, looks bigger and better of the two!]
The world was stunned when Jeremy Clarkon named the Skoda Yeti as the best car in the world. ‘OH! When was the last time he spoke sense’ you say. Well, it seems that he was right. Czech car maker’s successful product – the Skoda Yeti – has been voted best car in a Britain in a survey conducted by Auto Express magazine.
The magazine surveyed 30,000 drivers to reach to the conclusion.
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Yesterday we informed you that on the sidelines of new launches like the Hyundai Sonata and the soon-to-be-launched Toyota Camry, Skoda, the current market leader in the executive sedan segment, is launching a corporate variant of the Superb, called “Ambition”. Skoda used the same philosophy with the Laura naming it the “Classic”.
[Left - Bi-Xenons have been replaced by projector lamps; Right - No proximity sensors on the front]
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The Skoda Fabia may be living under the shadow of the cousin sister Polo. But it is still a very old model due for an update in 2014. A Czech website – Auto.cz – claims that it has cracked all the updates that the Skoda Fabia will get in 2014.
The most significant update will be the design. The 2014 Skoda Fabia will adopt Skoda’s new design philosophy – Vision D. The image attached here suggests all the design changes that the new Fabia will come with.
