Reports had said last year that the Skoda Rapid will receive a 1.0L TSI engine. Now, Zac Hollis, Director, Sales and Marketing, Skoda India, has confirmed that the sedan will get this engine.
The 1.0L TSI petrol engine, a turbocharged three-cylinder unit from the EA211 family, will commonly replace the old engines. Internationally, it is offered in a 95 PS/175 Nm version (with 5-speed MT/7-speed DSG) and a 115 PS/200 Nm version (with 6-speed MT/7-speed DSG). Expect the Skoda Rapid to get the 1.0L TSI engine with a standard 6-speed MT and an optional 7-speed DSG.
Commenting on the plant to discontinue the 1.5L TDI diesel engine, Hollis said: “We will not have a diesel in the Rapid but will replace that with a very efficient petrol engine – a 1.0-litre TSI.” “It is an extremely efficient engine giving a much better fuel economy than the current MPI, which has often been criticized a little for the fuel economy and efficiency,” he added.
The Skoda Rapid is currently available with a 1.6-litre MPI petrol engine (105 PS/153 Nm) and a 1.5L TDI diesel engine (110 PS/250 Nm). The petrol engine comes paired with a 5-speed MT or a 6-speed AT, while the diesel engine can be had with a 5-speed MT or a 7-speed DCT. Both these engines will be phased out by March 2020.
The 1.0L TSI engine will be locally manufactured and be at the heart of Volkswagen Group’s India 2.0 project. It will power even the first batch of MQB A0 IN products, a Hyundai Creta rival and a Hyundai Verna rival from both Skoda and VW brands. So, it should be highly localised.
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Skoda will offer the 1.0L TSI petrol engine in the Rapid directly in a BS-VI version and introduce it with the second facelift. The MQB A0 IN platform-based next-gen Rapid/Rapid successor at the end of 2021.
