It's no secret to readers that Skoda is planning an all new model on the Rapid platform which could be called the Skoda Rapid Spaceback. Why? Because Indian Autos Blog has been bringing you spy pictures of the test mule from the Czech Republic over the past four weeks.
The Rapid Spaceback is in essence the estate (or if you're reading this in Europe, the Combi) version of the Rapid sedan. Skoda sells an estate version of the Fabia and the new Octavia, not to mention the Superb as well. This Rapid Spaceback could plug a potential void between the Fabia Estate and the Octavia Estate.
While the demand for estates in India is non-existent (Skoda themselves had tried with the old Octavia Combi), Europe can't get enough of them. They combine the practicality of sedan like driving dynamics and an SUV's boot. Some Europeans who find an SUV too big or brash choose an estate for those very same reasons.
The Rapid Spaceback is expected to have the same interior as that of the Skoda Rapid. Engines are also expected to be carried over the from sedan which means that you can spec anything from a base 1.2-liter MPI engine to a 1.6-liter diesel engine. The 1.2 TSI (as seen on the VW Polo GT TSI in India) will be available in two states of tune as well.
Traditionally, Skoda charges about 1,000 GBP (INR 87,000) extra for an estate over the similarly specced sedan. Going by that same assumption, the Rapid Spaceback could have a price starting from 13,900 GBP (INR 12.16 lakhs).
We expect Skoda to show us the Rapid Spaceback as early as the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show scheduled this September.
[Image credits - Autoforum.cz]
