Skoda Scala Revealed: Will It Come To India?

• First Skoda car on the MQB A0 platform
• It is the next step in Skoda’s design language and borrows cues from the Vision RS Concept
• Features a new dash design with a free-standing infotainment screen
• Comes with virtual cockpit
• Internationally offered in five powertrains including CNG

Skoda has pulled the wraps off its new estate-esque hatchback, the Scala, in Tel Aviv, Israel. It has quite a few firsts to its name, chief among which is the fact that it is the first Skoda car to be built on Volkswagen’s MQB A0 platform. This is the same platform that Skoda is localising for Volkswagen in India. Wheels in your head start turning yet? We’ll get to that later.

The Scala also implements  the ‘next development stage’ of Skoda’s design language and is the brand’s first car to emulate the design of the Vision RS concept study. It gets LED lighting systems all around, the front is a bit more angular, headlamps are sharper and feature design elements similar to the Octavia and Superb. Overall, the Scala looks less like a traditional hatchback and more of an amalgamation of a hatchback, a sedan and an estate. In size, it’s nearly as large as a Honda City but maintains the compact proportions of a hatchback. However, it features a rather large 460-litre boot, which can be extended to 1410 litres by folding the second row seats.

The cabin boasts of a newly designed dash inspired by the Vision RS. You get a free-standing touchscreen infotainment system with smart connectivity options, including Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink. It also gets VW Group’s Virtual Cockpit that was just introduced in the Skoda Octavia and the Kodiaq L&K in India. As for space, Skoda claims that the Scala is as spacious, if not more, than the current Octavia. That is quite a statement to make.

As for powertrains, the Scala has been introduced with a choice of three engines - a 1.0-litre TSI, a 1.5-litre TSI and a 1.6-litre TDI. The 1.0-litre come in three states of tune - 95PS, 115PS and a 90PS CNG version. The TDI makes 115PS and the 1.5 TSI produces a range topping 150PS. The 95PS version of the 1.0-litre TSI comes with a 6-speed manual only while all others are available with manual and DSG choices except the 1.5-litre TSI. That comes with a 7-speed DSG only.

Of course, safety features are top notch with six airbags, emergency braking and active parking assist. But the real question is will it come to India. And the simplest answer is; it’s complicated. Skoda could choose to bring the Scala to India and is considering going down that path. It will help Skoda showcase its new design language and just what it is capable of when it comes to packaging its cars. If launched, it will slot between the Rapid and the Octavia, which will make it a pricey prospect for a hatchback. But, if it were to form the basis of a new Skoda SUV based on the MQB A0 platform with similar interiors as the Scala, now that would be an interesting prospect wouldn’t it?

Would you be willing to shell out the bucks if that were the case? Let us know in the comment section below.