The fourth-gen Skoda Octavia will continue to rival the likes of Hyundai Elantra and the Honda Civic upon its arrival in the Indian market next year
Skoda Auto India was working on bringing the next-gen Octavia in the country by the end of this year, but it has now been confirmed that the German-owned Czech carmaker has postponed the new sedan’s launch to early next year due to the global coronavirus outbreak.
While talking to a different publication, Mr Zac Hollis, Brand Director – Sales, Services & Marketing, Skoda Auto India said that “The car is still on track for India, the original plan was to try and get the car by the end of this year, but to be honest I think the car will slip into 2021 now, but for sure the car is on track. It’s coming as a parts and components (car) so there is quite a lot of work done here in the factory in terms of how that actually work. That car will definitely come in early 2021.”
The Octavia will enter its fourth-gen avatar, and the external changes are evolutionary rather than revolutionary, as compared to the outgoing model. The foreign-spec Octavia comes equipped with features like Matrix-LED headlamps, LED tail lamps with dynamic turn indicators, a 10.25-inch fully digital ‘Virtual Cockpit’ instrument cluster, 10-inch Columbus touchscreen infotainment system with smartphone connectivity, three-zone automatic climate control, heads-up display and a 12-speaker Canton sound system.
However, the Indian-spec fourth-gen Octavia might miss out on a few goodies in order to be priced in the ballpark of other D-segment sedans in the country. However, what the Octavia won’t miss out on this time is the performance-spec RS version of the car, which will likely be launched alongside the regular Octavia.
The Indian-spec 2021 Octavia is expected to be offered with the same 1.5-litre TSI EVO turbocharged petrol engine rated at 150 PS/250 Nm, that is offered with the Volkswagen T-Roc, and will soon be introduced with the Skoda Karoq as well.
A bigger 2.0-litre TSI turbo-petrol unit with 190 PS peak power and 320 Nm peak torque could also be offered, while diesel drivetrains could also be introduced at a later date. The transmission duties will be handled by a 6-speed manual gearbox, along with a 7-speed DSG.
