The Octavia RS 245 is set to be launched at the 2020 Auto Expo next week, and will go on to become the most powerful Skoda in the country yet
Zac Hollis, Director of Sales and Marketing, Skoda India, has continued to reveal vital information related to upcoming Skoda cars in the country since his appointment in late 2018. He previously confirmed that the current-gen Octavia will be given one last hurrah with the introduction of 200 units of the Octavia RS 245 in the country as completely built units.
Now, Mr Hollis has also confirmed that the performance-packed Octavia RS 245 will be launched in India at the 2020 Auto Expo, set to be held from next week and could launch on 3rd February at India’s first ‘VW Group Night’. Since the car will be brought through the CBU route, it will be the same car that is available in the European markets.
This means that the Octavia RS 245 will be powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged TSI petrol engine, which puts out 245 PS of maximum power, and 370 Nm peak torque. The car comes with a front-wheel-drive configuration, and also gets a limited-slip differential. The international-spec RS 245 is offered with two transmission options – a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed DSG. However, Skoda will offer the car with only the latter in India.
Skoda claims that the Octavia can sprint from 0 to 100 kmph in just 6.6 seconds, which is 0.2 seconds faster than the RS 230 which was brought to India in limited numbers earlier. The top-speed of the RS 245 is electronically limited to 250 kmph.
Visually, expect the RS 245 to carry a host of cosmetic changes over the regular Octavia, including redesigned bumpers, bigger wheels, twin exhaust tips at the rear, a spoiler mounted on the top of the boot-lid, and of course, the RS badging both inside and outside the cabin.
The car will sport an all-black cabin, with sporty Alcantara seats, a flat-bottom steering wheel, contrasting red stitching, a digital instrument cluster, and possibly a bigger touchscreen infotainment system as compared to the regular Octavia sedan.
Skoda launched the locally assembled Octavia RS 230 at a starting price of Rs 25.12 lakh (ex-showroom). Being a CBU, expect the RS 245 to carry a sticker price of around Rs 35 lakh (ex-showroom). Skoda plans to discontinue the current-gen Octavia by April 2020, and will likely only launch the next-gen version by the end of this year, hence, the RS 245 seems like a perfect farewell.