The Czech manufacturer, Skoda appears to be getting serious about its Indian performance. Very recently reports of new Fabia’s Indian launch were confirmed by the company’s CEO (report here).
Apart from that, the company is working on a new updated Rapid for launch this year according to Zigwheels.com. The 2015 edition of the Rapid is scheduled to get a new diesel engine and more interestingly, the 7 speed DSG automatic which is already on sale in international markets.
This comes in the wake of parent Volkswagen about to launch the new smaller engine on its Polo and Vento. This simply means that the present 1.6L TDI producing 105PS of power and 250Nm of torque will be discontinued. The car will get a similar treatment as the entire Skoda family is being treated with, beginning with the Octavia last year, followed by the Superb in February.
The Yeti will also be getting the similar design upgrade in July, as we have reported here. The new engine will get the 5 speed manual as well as the 7 speed automatic and can be expected to have a similar output figures as the old one.
The 7 speed dual clutch DSG transmission by Skoda’s parent company Volkswagen is a controversial gearbox but in India it has been niggle free and have received good reviews. It combines the comfort and convenience of a conventional automatic and the performance and efficiency of a manual gearbox. The two clutches, working simultaneously ensure shifts to occur in no time. People, who still love manual, can even shift gears manually thanks to the tiptronic shift function.
On the other hand the petrol engine is expected to remain the same. The new Rapid can be expected to hit the streets before the festive season this year around the time when Volkswagen will also launch the new Vento. With these new additions, the Skoda Rapid will be able to compete much better with the Honda City and Hyundai Verna.
Related: Skoda to Launch ‘A Plus’ 7-Seater SUV Bigger Than Yeti: May be Called as Snowman
