Tuesday, July 09, 2024
By Kamal Swami
Skoda Octavia To Come Back In India By Year End
With almost half of the year gone, Czech carmaker Skoda is getting to surprise Indian car buyers with new launches in the remaining months. The first model to make its entry into the Indian car market would be a compact SUV which would be launched against the key players like Maruti Suzuki Brezza and Tata Nexon. The company is also working on launching two new models during the second half of the year. Among all these launches the most notable and highly awaited launch will be the Octavia sedan, re-launched by the company in the global market. The premium sedan was phased out from the Indian car market and is now ready to make its comeback by the end of this year. According to reports, the new Kodiaq and Superb are also in the company's pipeline for next year.
Speaking about the company’s plans for the Indian car market, Petr Janeba, Brand Director, Skoda Auto India said that the premium sedan Octavia will soon be a part of the Slavia sedan family by the end of this year. In the words of Janeba, “Slavia is targeting one segment but Octavia is a completely different statement.” The Octavia, initially launched in India 13 years ago, was recently discontinued due to stricter BS6 emission norms.
According to reports, after Octavia, the company will also bring back the Superb sedan through the Completely Built Unit (CBU) route. The Slavia and Octavia will be fully imported initially before local manufacturing is considered. The decision to reintroduce these models is aimed at providing customers with a classic sedan experience. "We need to bring all the products which make sense because the brand is up and running with the models..the more cars you have, the bigger brand you are," Janeba added.
Apart from re-introducing these premium sedans, the carmaker is planning to launch the new Kodiaq SUV, which was launched in global markets earlier this year. Commenting on this Janeba said, that test units of the SUV will soon arrive in India, with the launch expected to take place next summer. The SUV was recently seen testing on Indian roads in preparation for the launch.
The new Kodiaq is expected to be powered by a 2.0-litre TSI petrol engine, likely paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and an optional on-demand all-wheel-drive (AWD) system. Upon its release, the new Kodiaq will renew its competition with rivals such as the MG Gloster, Toyota Fortuner, and Volkswagen Tiguan.