Skoda launches Rapid sedan

Indian car industry is deluged with car launches and Skoda Rapid is yet another car launched today, following the high popularity gained by the sedan prior to its launch.

It is not a secret that Skoda Rapid is the rebadged version of Volkswagen Vento, with the bold Skoda trademark to mark the distinction from the latter. Skoda Rapid has been introduced in three variants –Active, Ambition and Elegance with both diesel and petrol engine trims. The Skoda Rapid price has been tagged competitively at Rs 6.75 lakh (ex-Showroom Delhi). The new sedan from the Czech car manufacturer shares quite a few similarities with Volkswagen Vento, given the component sharing and  common manufacturing facility utilised by Volkswagen and its subsidiary in developing the car. While we are on the subject, Skoda Rapid has been developed at Volkswagen’s Oragadam plant in Chennai along with Volkswagen Vento making the best use of German technology . While the Skoda Rapid fascia is a slightly veered from Volkswagen Vento’s frontal look due to the Skoda badging and redesigned grille, the interiors is where a profound likeliness can be observed.The spacious interiors along with the dashboard and central console layout are more than just a few similarities. Superior quality upholstery has been used with perfect blend of fabric and leather to evolve plush interiors for maximum comfort of the passengers. The new sedan is packed with plethora of comfort and safety features to lure the consumers with the wide range of features offered in the three variants with a suitable price tag to go with. Power windows, power steering, steering mounted audio wheels, Bluetooth, Voice control and power adjustable ORVMs are the numerous comfort features, while the ABS, EBD, reverse parking sensors, ELR seat Belts, Dual airbags, child locks and cruise control are the safety measures distributed in the variants in tandem with the price.Skoda Rapid comes with the Volkswagen Vento’s 1.6 L petrol and diesel engine to churn out the same peak power of 105 Bhp in case of petrol and diesel engine, but with 160 Nm and 253 Nm peak torque for petrol and diesel engine respectively. Following the footsteps of Volkswagen Vento, Skoda Rapid has the 6-speed automatic gearbox to assist the 1.6 L petrol engine and a 5-speed manual gearbox as a standard. With as many features as Volkswagen Vento, but with a lesser price, cannibalisation is the threat Volkswagen has to watch out for.