Skoda Gets To Rapid-Leap Frog The Vento!

Every time we have seen Volkswagen launch a new car in the Indian market, it is to the detriment of its bread and butter brand Skoda. The Polo came in and did merry at the Fabia’s expense, the Jetta tried to upset the Laura’s applecart, while the Passat came across trying to do the same to the brilliant Skoda Superb. Thankfully the Laura and the Superb have more than held their own against their rivals from within the VW Group, given that the cars underneath their differently shaped skins do have similar aggregates. That being so, the cars thankfully come endowed with different character and appeal to help them hold their own in the marketplace. It wouldn’t have been so difficult in a mature market like Europe but here in India, where Skoda did the initial running to come across as a premium brand over VW even, in many a case, this did clutter up the portfolio.

 
However, now it is Skoda’s turn to take a leaf out of the VW book and get itself a badge-engineered automobile in the critical premium sedan segment in the country. On Friday, October 7, 2011, the firm began manufacturing its own version of the VW Vento, to slot itself as a very highly specced saloon in the segment dominated by the Honda City yet being positioned with a very competitive price tag sure to bring tears to the eyes of many rivals, the Vento included! This latter aspect is purely going by what officials at Skoda India had to say in their interaction with ZigWheels on the occasion of Skoda chairman Prof Dr Winfred Vahland’s visit to India.

 
Skoda’s clone of the VW Vento will go by the name Skoda Rapid (pronounced not in the usual manner but as Rapeeed) and this is a model name which has graced many historic Skodas in the past. In fact, the last named Skoda Rapid was available in Europe in the 1940s and after a gap of almost six decades this model name has resurfaced on a Skoda for India! The new Rapid features Skoda’s traditional clean cut surface design language replete with sharply moulded contours. In fact, the front grille is reminiscent of the Superb and along with the fluted bonnet surfaces and the large headlamps a la the Laura, the Skoda designers have done a pretty good job of reskinning the Vento with their own new clothes. This saloon looks sharper and more youthful and given its competitive pricing as asserted by its maker but to be revealed only at launch (around mid to end November this year), the Rapid could definitely queer the pitch for many in its segment.

 
The Skoda Rapid mechanically remains very similar to the Vento – chassis, suspension, steering and drivetrains being identical. Just like the Vento, the Rapid will feature 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines with a 5-speed manual gearbox as OE, while there would also be the option of a 6-speed automatic transmission on the petrol. Having seen the Vento dominate the diesel category in the premium end of the entry level sedan segment in the country, the Rapid with its similar rock-solid build and equivalent performance, fresher styling and a wallet-friendly price tag to boot could well be the most cost effective project undertaken by the VW Group as it moves on to establishing an ever-increasing share of the Indian car market.

 
Stay tuned for more on the Rapid and other Skodas, including a return of the Octavia model name to the Skoda portfolio!