The new-gen Skoda Octavia is expected to be offered with 1.5-litre (150 PS/250 Nm) and 2.0-litre TSI turbo-petrol (190 PS/320 Nm) engines in India initially
The Octavia is Skoda’s most popular offering worldwide, and the carmaker debuted the fourth-gen model of the car in the European markets last year with a subsequent launched. Now, the carmaker has plans to launch the Octavia IV in the Indian market by February next year.
Skoda ended up discontinuing the previous-gen Octavia from the Indian market since the car did not comply with the latest emission norms. The German-owned Czech carmaker had plans to launch the new-gen model in India by the end of this year, however, considering the current circumstances, Skoda decided to push the launch to a slightly later date.
During an interview with Financial Express, Zac Hollis, Director of Sales, Service & Marketing at ŠKODA AUTO India confirmed that the new-generation Skoda Octavia will arrive in February 2021 through the CKD route. Skoda offers the Octavia IV in the foreign markets with a host of different powertrains to choose from.
However, we expect the company to offer the Octavia in India with the 1.5-litre TSI EVO turbocharged petrol engine, rated at 150 PS/250 Nm and 2.0-litre TSI turbo-petrol (190 PS/320 Nm) engines. While oil burners aren’t expected to be offered at launch, the company might go on to offer a 2.0-litre TDI EVO diesel engine at a later stage.
The transmission duties will likely be handled by a 6-speed manual gearbox, along with an optional 7-speed DSG auto. Skoda offers the Euro-spec Octavia IV with features like Matrix LED headlamps, a 10.25-inch virtual cockpit, a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system with built-in eSIM and smartphone connectivity, a 4.2-inch head-up display, a 12-speaker Canton sound system, five USB-C ports, wireless charging, as well as a three-zone automatic climate control.
However, we expect Skoda to tone down the Euro-spec Octavia a bit when the company brings the sedan to the Indian market. The 2021 Octavia could be priced from Rs 17-20 lakh onwards, while it will go on to rival the likes of the Hyundai Elantra, as well as the Honda Civic in India.