Entry posted on July 13, 2010 by
Naveen;
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Skoda
Skoda was betting big on its Fabia hatchback, the first premium hatchback in India. Though the Skoda Fabia did well in the initial few months, the Hyundai i20′s launch pushed the Fabia to the sidelines.
Thomas Kuehl, Director (Sales and Marketing), Skoda India -
We were the first to introduce the concept of super hatch (in India) but as is the case always, the product which followed the Fabia (Hyundai i20) received a much better response. We are quite confident that the new Fabia will clock monthly sales of over 1,000 units.
The Octavia was shelved because of the BS4 norms and Skoda is bearing the brunt of it. But not for long. Skoda India is planning an aggressive comeback and hoping to regaining its lost glory that it had during the days of the Octavia.
Skoda would begin assembling the Yeti compact SUV in India by October 2010 and launch it simultaneously. Then the revamped Skoda Fabia would be launched. The revamped Fabia is also expected to come with revised competitive pricing.
Skoda is also developing a small car that would be priced between 3.5 to 4 lakhs. The new car would be built at the Chakan plant in Pune. Then the Skoda Felicia which would fill in the Octavia’s position would be launched. The Felicia would be based on the Skoda Fabia’s platform.
Skoda future models -
> Yeti compact SUV – 2010 October
> New revamped Fabia – 2010 October
> Skoda small car – 2011 end
> Felicia (Octavia’s replacement) – 2011 end
> Bigfoot 7-seater SUV – mid 2012
It is now official. If google translation service from Slovak to English can be trusted, the Skoda Octavia’s successor will be launched by the end of 2010.
The Skoda Octavia is the company’s most successful model with its 14-year life cycle when it meets its end next year. The replacement model will be an all-new design and with smaller engines and lower equipment levels to bring down the price tag.
The car could be named Popular sticking to Skoda’s tradition of looking into its history books for naming new products.
If you know your Slovak, then why not head to the source and extract some more info for us? We’ve developed rashes scratching our heads.
After seeing the launch of the new Superb and the refreshed Laura last month, the Skoda Octavia should feel miserably left out. Skoda’s first offering in the country and remains largely the same, the exciting vRS version came and left during this tenure, and so did the unappealing Combi version.
The Octavia technically belongs to the earlier generation of models; its latest iteration is the Laura, which is the Octavia in other parts of the world. Skoda won’t call the shots as Indians place faith on tried-and-tested cars, the Octavia being one such.
8,000 units of the Laura and Octavia have made it to Indian homes in 2008-09 period. This number is second only to the Honda Civic in the D-Segment. Such strong numbers has prompted Skoda to think of giving the Octavia (which is sold as the Octavia Tour overseas) a much welcome revision.
Skoda has planned to continue to Octavia in the Indian market. In a few years time, the Octavia wears new clothes and the underlying platform would itself be revamped. Details have not been disclosed, but it is clear the car would roll out of the Chakan plant.
