New-Gen Skoda Octavia To Be Launched Next Month, Officially Announced

2020 Skoda Octavia RS-2

The new generation Skoda Octavia will be introduced later next month and the deliveries will commence by May 2021

Skoda Octavia D-segment sedan was not upgraded to comply with the BS6 norms that came into effect on April 1, 2020 and thus it was discontinued. The Czech carmaker did not upgrade the sedan to comply with the new emission norms since globally, a new-gen version of the Octavia had already been released, and the updated car is set to be brought to India soon too.

That being said, Zac Hollis, Director of Sales, Service & Marketing, Skoda India, confirmed that the new-gen Octavia will be launched in the Indian market towards the end of next month before the commencement of deliveries by the end of May 2021. Ahead of its arrival, we have put together a list of the top 5 things that you should know about the next-gen Skoda Octavia, take a read to know more –

Design

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, and that is exactly what Skoda has done with the fourth-gen Octavia on the styling front. The new-gen Octavia’s design follows an evolutionary approach, rather than revolutionary as compared to the outgoing model. Some noteworthy changes have been made on the outside to bring it in line with Skoda’s latest global models, including the Superb facelift, as well as the Scala.

2020 Skoda Octavia RS

Up front, the two-piece headlamp design of the previous-gen model has been replaced with a conventional yet sharp-looking LED headlamp, with optional full-matrix LEDs. The signature butterfly grille has been retained but is now bigger in size. As compared to the current model, the new-gen Octavia gets a slightly lower roofline, which gives it a coupe-like stance.

The rear-end features new angular LED tail-lights, while the Skoda emblem has been replaced with the ‘SKODA’ lettering, placed on the upper part of the boot lid, just like all other new Skoda cars.

Features

Skoda offers the Euro-spec Octavia iV with features like Matrix LED headlamps, a 10.25-inch virtual cockpit, a 10-inch free-standing touchscreen infotainment system with built-in eSIM, smartphone connectivity, gesture control and an advanced voice-controlled digital assistant, multi-colour ambient lighting, a 4.2-inch head-up display, a 12-speaker Canton sound system, five USB-C ports, wireless charging, a panoramic sunroof, a rear-view camera as well as a three-zone automatic climate control.

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However, Skoda could tone down the feature list of the India-spec Octavia in order to keep its price in check. Safety features will likely include multiple airbags, front and rear parking sensors, ABS with EBD, a reverse parking camera, ESC and so on.

Powertrains

The Euro-spec Skoda Octavia iV is offered with a range of powertrains including mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid, petrol engines, and diesel options as well. However, we expect Skoda to offer the fourth-gen Octavia in India with a sole 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that puts out 190 PS of maximum power, as well as 320 Nm of peak torque.

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The next-gen Octavia will likely not be offered with a manual gearbox, and will instead be getting a 7-speed DSG auto as standard. However, Skoda could introduce a 1.5-litre TSI engine option with a 6-speed manual transmission for the sedan at a later stage.

Launch Timeline

While the new-gen Octavia was expected to arrive at the Indian shores in September last year, the launch was delayed to 2021. Zac Hollis confirmed that the new-generation Octavia will be launched in the Indian market in the last week of next month.

Price & Rivals

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The fourth-gen Skoda Octavia is expected to be priced from Rs 17 lakh onwards, however, the official prices will only be revealed closer to its launch. That being said, the updated D-segment sedan will retain its rivalry with the likes of the Hyundai Elantra.