As the unveiling of new Skoda Octavia is inching closer, the excitement is increasing among car enthusiasts across the country. The Czech-based auto maker, which is owned by the Volkswagen Group, has confirmed that the car will be officially showcased in Mumbai on Friday, 9th of August. Reportedly, unveiling of the upcoming Octavia will be done by Dr. H.C. Winfried Vahland, the Chairman of Board of Directors of Skoda Auto.
It must be noted that the 2013 Skoda Octavia has been in news for a while now as experts from the industry have tried to speculate the kind of impact it might make on the market. It is believed that the new Octavia has the potential of turning around the fortunes of its manufacturer in the Indian auto market. The unimpressive performance of Fabia hatchback combined with the slowdown in demand has proved to be dwindling for the auto maker, which resulted in losing the strong ground once held by Skoda Auto in the Indian car market.
Skoda has added style and a number of technological features in the new Octavia. This mid-sized sedan is based on Modularer Querbaukasten (MQB) platform of Volkswagen. The name 'Modularer Querbaukasten' can be roughly translated into English as 'Modular Transversal Toolkit'. As the name suggests, this platform utilises a matrix of components across a number of vehicles to manufacture products that are safe, fuel efficient and have reduced emissions. According to reports, the new Skoda Octavia is longer and wider than the Laura by 90 mm and 45 mm, respectively. The company has worked extensively on making the car more stylish and spacious. Interiors of this car have been upgraded with almost invisible seams, high quality plastic and the neatly designed dashboard. Notably, the boot space of the new Octavia is around 590 litres.
Interestingly, any model that is launched these days is technologically more advanced than the previously introduced cars and the new Octavia is no different. Skoda has included a wide range of modern day technology features in its upcoming car, such as adaptive cruise control and intelligent light assistant. Safety is one of the highlights of this car with specifications like lane assistance, fatigue detection system, automatic braking system and nine airbags.
There have been no indications from the company about the pricing of new Skoda Octavia. However, analysts have said that Skoda is likely to adopt an aggressive strategy for the new car. According to reports, the firm is likely to introduce petrol and diesel variants, which will be powered by 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre engines. Speculations are rife that the Czech auto maker might introduce and entry level variant equipped with a 1.4-litre engine and subsequently, permanently replace the Laura with the 1.8-litre version. No official date has been announced for the launch of the new Skoda Octavia. But, it is being said that the new Octavia might be on its way to showrooms before the end of 2013.
![Skoda Octavia [2017-2021]](https://imgd-ct.aeplcdn.com/160x89/n/cw/ec/43966/skoda-octavia-rs-245-exterior5.jpeg?q=80 "Skoda Octavia [2017-2021]")
