Skoda’s Upcoming Rapid Successor Spied On Indian Roads

The sedan has been spotted for the very first time on public roads and here’s what we can make out

• Grille design looks similar to the Kushaq.

• It gets a triple-barrel headlamp design, although we don’t see any projectors.

• This Rapid successor will be a bigger car with possibly more space added to the second row.

• The tail lamp design looks similar to that of the last-gen Octavia and it also gets a shark fin antenna. 

• Based on the same platform as the upcoming Kushaq, it will also use the same engines:  1.0-litre and 1.5-litre petrol, both turbocharged.

• Expect premium features like a sunroof, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a digital instrument cluster to be a part of the package.

• It will go on sale by late-2021 and rival the Volkswagen Virtus, Honda City, and Hyundai Verna.

• Expected launch price between Rs 9 lakh and Rs 14.50 lakh.

Skoda will be bringing in the successor to the Rapid by the end of the year that’s more than six months to go, but we’ve already got a look at the sedan in these first spy shots. The test unit was decked in heavy camouflage, hiding its design quite well, nevertheless, here’s what we could make out.

The new sedan gets a typical Skoda face with the grille taking centre stage. The headlights on this test mule are triple barrel units, encompassing the indicator, low beam, and high beam. There’s no hint of a projector setup here, instead, it gets what is possibly a LED reflector setup, the one in the new-gen Honda City. However, this could be a lower variant and Skoda may choose to offer a more premium setup on the higher variants. The lower part of the headlights has also been covered by a camouflage strip, which could be hiding the LED DRLs. We can also spot rounded fog lamps on the lower section of the bumper.

Also Read: New-Generation Skoda Octavia Launch Delayed, New Date Could Be In May

Skoda has already revealed the Rapid’s successor will be a bigger car and that’s evident from the photos. It looks like some of that length has been added to the rear half of the car. This will definitely make the second row of the sedan a lot more spacious than that of the Rapid, and will also result in a larger boot. A shark fin antenna is also visible on the roof, however, the alloy matte black wheel design does look a tad simple. That said, these could just be test units and we may see a different design on the final car.

The car is quite well camouflaged at the rear. From what we can make out, the tail lamps are squarish, a lot like the previous-gen Octavia. However, with the heavy camouflage around the car, we cannot confirm this just yet.

This Rapid successor will be based on the MQB A0(IN) platform, just like the upcoming Skoda Kushaq. It will also borrow its powertrain combos from the Kushaq. That means, a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine that makes 115PS/175Nm, mated with a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission 9torque converter. The other option will be the more potent 1.5-litre turbo-petrol motor that can churn out 150PS/250Nm and can be specced with either a 6-speed manual transmission or a 7-speed DSG (dual-clutch transmission).

Also Read: Skoda Rapid Monte Carlo And Onyx Variants Now Available With Sportier Updates

As far as features go, we expect a digital instrument cluster, a 10-inch touchscreen, connected car tech, LED headlamps and tail lamps, six airbags, traction control and ESP, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a sunroof. Apart from these, Skoda should offer everything that is present on the current-gen Rapid.

With the launch likely in late-2021, we expect Skoda to price this Rapid successor between Rs 9 lakh and Rs 14.5 lakh. The current-gen Skoda Rapid is priced between Rs Rs 7.79 lakh to Rs 13.29 lakh (both ex-showroom). The new-gen Rapid will go up against the upcoming Volkswagen Virtus, Honda City, and the Hyundai Verna. And as far as its name is concerned, Skoda had trademarked the name ‘Slavia’ last year, however, the jury is still out on that.

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