Skoda India, the completely owned division of Volkswagen Group, has introduced a new line-up of its Rapid sedan in the domestic auto market. It must be noted that the company has removed several variants from the Rapid line-up and is now offering only two trims – Elegance and Ambition Plus. However, the leisure trim has been kept same as it happens to be a special edition model. Sources close to the development process have claimed that the new launch happens to be mere a feature update and thus, its technical specifications are kept same.
The car sports both petrol and diesel engine options, wherein the former comes equipped with a 1.6-litre MPI engine, while a 1.6-litre mill has been packed within the latter. The maximum power churned out by the petrol engine stands at 104 bhp along with a torque of up to 153 Nm, whereas the power and torque figures of diesel variant stands at 104 bhp and 250 Nm, respectively. On the grounds of features, the Ambition Plus variant comes fitted with dual front airbags, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), steering mounted audio control and an advanced music system with USB, Aux-in, SD card slot and Bluetooth compatibility. In Elegance trim, along with all the abovementioned features, the auto maker has included projector headlamps.
Interestingly, Skoda India has included leather package as a part of standard fitment in all the variants of Rapid sedan. This package features leather wrapped gear shift selector, steering wheel and hand brake lever. With the base price of Rs. 8.04 lakh for 1.6 Ambition MT, industry experts are of a view that it is a smart move from the Czech based auto maker to lure the price sensitive Indian buyers in festive season. Coming to the prices of other petrol variants, 1.6 Ambition AT comes for Rs. 9.04 lakh, while 1.6 Elegance MT and 1.6 Elegance AT are offered for Rs. 8.63 lakh and Rs. 9.63 lakh, respectively. In the diesel category, the Skoda Rapid 1.6 MT is priced at Rs. 9.42 lakh and 1.6 Elegance MT is sold for Rs. 9.77 lakh (all prices are ex-showroom, Delhi).
