Skoda’s Vrchlabi plant (located in Czech Republic) celebrated its 100th anniversary, this weekend. The Vrchlabi plant manufactures the Skoda Octavia sedan, ships it to India in the form of Completely Knocked Down units, which is then assembled at Skoda’s facility in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.
After having launched new versions of Octavia and Superb sedans last year, Skoda Auto has now announced that its lineup is heading for massive expansion with the new Yeti compact SUV as well as the Fabia Scout. Both the models are scheduled to be launched at Geneva Motor Show next month.
The Octavia (Octavia and later Laura to us) is arguably Skoda’s best selling car in the world and even in India although the Fabia has taken over that position now. The popular car which Skoda sells in India, both the generations simultaneously is celebrating its 50th birthday this year. Over 2 million Skoda Octavias that you see in India, have been sold around the world.
The facelifted Skoda Octavia (Skoda Laura to us Indians) was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show last year.
The front end receives a sharp dynamic look that reminds us of the soon to be launched Superb in India. Inside, Skoda has redesigned the steering wheel, the dashboard (white-backlit), all the controls and the decorative strips on the doors and the central console. Furthermore, new upholstery fabrics are available across all equipment levels.
Knowing that Skoda is from the Czech republic, you would expect their cars to be very popular on home turf and it has turned out to be just that. A look at the sales figures convey that the Fabia has been very popular as it has sold as many as 22,205 units in Jan-Nov in Czech Republic which helps it secure the numero-uno spot.
Following that is our very own Octavia (Laura to us Indians) which has sold 11,485 units, according to Car Importers Association (SDA) statistics. The Fabia has been performing well in India too as Indians open up to quality products.
Volkswagen has been caught developing a new sedan aimed particularly at the US market. The particulars of the new sedan, code named Volkswagen NMS, or VW New Midsize Sedan, are scarce, but the company recently circulated a few pointers: it will be the size of a Volkswagen Passat, but at the price of a Toyota Camry, it will have a dynamic powertrain acceleration, a double-clutch transmission, it will offer ample [ Read More ]
A few months ago, we brought you spy pictures of the upcoming Suzuki Kizashi testing in the U.S, which you can view here. It looks like the Suzuki Kizashi could well be the next vehicle from Maruti after the upcoming A-Star and the Splash in India. Maruti is taking bold decisions after the immense success of its latest models-The Swift and the SX4. We expect the A-Star and the Splash [ Read More ]
The Skoda Octavia vRS is one of those cars which bring to mind racing circuits and pictures like Fast and the Furious. OK, possibly only if you are an Indian, because let me simply put it this way- A sub 20-lakh car which can do 200+ kph and is constructed to do specifically that, is missing. Think about it. The Accord isn’t exactly a street-racing type car and neither is [ Read More ]
