Later this year, Europe will get a car
that sits between the Fabia hatchback and the Octavia/Laura sedan. That
car will be called the Rapid notchback(not be confused with the Indian
Skoda Rapid sedan). The European version of the 2013 Skoda Rapid
notchback sees many changes in the exteriors. The styling of the
European Rapid is based on the Mission L concept that Skoda showcased a
while ago. The European version of the Rapid gets a brand new front end
styling, that looks much more contemporary than the Indian version. The
rear end of the 2013 Rapid also sees plenty of changes.
Design wise, the 2013 Rapid’s rear
confirms to Skoda’s family styling. However, the tail lamps have a brand
new design along with notchback styling which gives the car a whopping
500 liters of boot space due to the integrated boot. The interiors too
look quite different from what is offered on the Indian version of the
Rapid, which is essentially a rebadged and a restyled Volkswagen
Vento/Polo sedan. These changes apart, the European version of the Rapid
will be built on the same platform as the Indian Rapid, which
incidentally is a Fabia with a boot.
Engines too could be carried over from
the Indian Rapid, especially the 1.6 Liter turbo diesel TDI unit. Petrol
power however could see the use of one of the many small capacity turbo
petrol engines that the Volkswagen group has at its disposal. The entry
level variant of the European Rapid is expected to cost about 13,000
GBP, in the United Kingdom, a price that is not too different from what
the top end versions of the Indian Rapid sells at. However, the high
equipment level and the new styling of the 2013 European Rapid might be a
reason for the higher price tag.
2013 European Skoda Rapid Notchback Sketch
In India, the Rapid has been a big
success for Skoda, by becoming the best selling car in the brand’s
Indian portfolio, outselling the smaller Fabia hatchback quite
comprehensively. The Skoda Rapid has been positioned below the
Volkswagen Vento sedan and comes in many more variant levels than the
Vento. This has been a major reason for the Rapid’s success in the price
sensitive Indian market. Similarly, the 2013 European Rapid too will be
positioned below the Volkswagen Golf in the European market, in line
with Skoda’s global strategy of undercutting similar Volkswagen
products.
No comments:
Post a Comment