New Skoda Octavia expected to stiffen competition among mid-size sedans

In the past few days much has been said about the New Skoda Octavia, which is slated to be unveiled at an event in Mumbai on 9th August 2013. However, the main question that arises regarding the much-anticipated sedan is - will Octavia reclaim the lost popularity for the Czech auto maker?

With the Fabia hatchback getting an unimpressive response from the market, Skoda India is banking on the success of the new Skoda Octavia to revive its sales. According to industry analysts, the launch of the new Skoda Octavia will surely increase competitiveness in the mid-size sedan segment. Notably, the previous version of the Octavia enjoyed huge success in the Indian car market. It is being anticipated that the new Octvia shall be launched alongside the Laura, which will continue till the auto maker introduces an entry-level variant.

Though Skoda India has been trying to revive its image in the recent past, the current slowdown prevalent in the domestic car market has affected its plans to a large extent. Its high-end model Superb has garnered attention and is considered to be the best car offered by the company at the moment. During 2012, the auto maker showed steady progress, which resulted in a growth of 13 per cent despite challenging market conditions. In the wake of recent changes made in the management along with the launch of a new model, the future certainly seems brighter for Skoda India. With the unveiling of Skoda Octavia on 9th August, 2013, Skoda India is only expecting the sedan with newer technology and better features to regain its foothold in the market.

The new Skoda Octavia is based on the Modular Transversal Toolkit (Modularer Querbaukasten - MQB) platform, which is developed by its parent company Volkswagen. The new platform is acclaimed for reducing emissions along with achieving better fuel-efficiency. It is reported that the new Skoda Octavia will be equipped with advanced features like airbags, Anti-lock Braking System and lane assist function. Additional features like traffic sign recognition and cruise control are expected to be provided in this mid-size sedan. As far the performance of the car is concerned, the new Octavia is expected to be fitted with 1.8-litre TSI turbocharged petrol engine and 2.0-litre TDI turbocharged diesel engine. In addition, the Indian market may witness a launch of a base variant of the model that will be powered by a 1.4-litre petrol engine.