The current-gen Skoda Rapid has been on sale in India for almost a decade now and is soon due for a replacement. Skoda has been working on the Rapid-replacement for India, codenamed the ANB sedan, and it was even spied testing on our roads a while ago. Although Skoda has already debuted the next-gen Rapid for markets abroad, that will not be the exact model that makes it to India. The India-spec Skoda Rapid-replacement will not only be larger and costlier than the current model, it will also likely be longer than the new-gen Rapid that's on sale internationally.
As per previous reports and trademark filings, the next-gen Rapid will likely be called the Skoda Slavia in India. In terms of design, the Skoda Slavia is expected to be largely similar to the new-gen Rapid that's on sale in Russia, although it will have a longer wheelbase. The Russia-spec Rapid already has a 50mm longer wheelbase than the current India-spec Rapid. The Slavia is likely to stretch the wheelbase by a further 49mm to 2,651 mm, giving it best-in-class wheelbase. Like most upcoming Skoda/Volkswagen cars, the Skoda Slavaia will also be based on the localized MQB-A0-IN platform.
Also Read : Fourth-Generation Skoda Octavia Launched In India
Based on previously seen spy images, and drawing references from the Russia-spec Rapid, here we have a digital rendering of the Skoda Slavia, as imagined by our in-house digital rendering artist, Shoeb R. Kalania. Here in this rendering, the Slavia's design looks mostly similar to the Russia-spec Rapid, but there are a few notable differences for the India-spec model. The most obvious of them is the visibly longer length of the sedan, which also brings with it longer rear doors. Other changes will mostly be concentrated on the soft parts with country-specific front and rear bumpers.
Here in this rendering, we can see the Skoda Slavia with a unique front bumper with a chrome strip running in between. It also additionally gets a Skoda badge on the front fender. The upcoming sedan features much sharper and edgier styling, with the face characterized by the signature Skoda butterfly grille and sleek, swept-back LED headlamps. In typical Skoda fashion, the lines and crisp and clean and there's an inherent sense of sophistication in the design. Like the new Octavia, the Slavia will also be a notchback, which means it will get a liftback tailgate, and that should give it class-leading boot space.
Under the hood, the Skoda Slavia will share its powertrain options with all upcoming Skoda/VW cars. That means VW Group's 1.0-litre TSI turbo petrol engine will be the mainstay, which produces 115PS of power and 175Nm of torque. This engine will come mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission. Skoda will also be offering a larger 1.5-litre TSI turbo petrol engine that will come mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission or a 6-speed manual. This engine produces 150PS and 250Nm of peak torque. The Skoda Slavia is expected to reach showrooms in early 2022.
Stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com for more Skoda updates and other four-wheeler news.
