Next Generation Skoda Octavia to see Indian daylight in 2013

Skoda Auto, a Czech auto maker and completely owned subsidiary of Volkswagen Group, has pulled the covers off its next generation premium luxury Octavia saloon. It is anticipated that the company might introduce the sedan somewhere in the last quarter of 2013 calendar year. Several top industry boffins are already pinning the new Octavia as a replacement for Skoda Laura in the Indian premium luxury car market.

The Czech auto maker has redesigned its upcoming Skoda Octavia in an enchanting new sleeker and meaner avatar. The wheelbase is stretched a little, while significant advancements are also present in exterior dimensions of the yet-to-be launched next generation Skoda Octavia.

The ultra modish luxury saloon features the critically acclaimed Volkswagen 'Modularer Querbaukasten' (MQB) platform, which translates in English into 'Modular Transverse Matrix'. The MQB platform entails the new Octavia to possess an optimised cockpit dimension and volume, besides ensuring a superior power-to-weight ratio of the vehicle. Further, the MQB design platform uses super strong steel for augmenting the stiffness of the vehicle's chassis, besides cutting back net mass at the same time. The esteemed MQB platform is already in commercial use in several Volkswagen brands like Audi A3, Seat Leon and Volkswagen Golf Mk7.

The Skoda Octavia is anticipated to come trimmed with a 1.4 litre TSI powertrain (borrowed from cousin Volkswagen Jetta) in its petrol variant, whereas its diesel model could feature a tweaked 1.6 litre TDI motor derived from its sister Rapid saloon. Remarkably, the luxury sedan's new design language and utilisation of MQB platform has resulted in a sharp 102 kg reduction in its weight, which highlights better performance capability from under-its-hood.

Evidently, Octavia brand has been Skoda's most influential product on Indian turf before its removal from domestic car market. The luxury sedan was discontinued so as to make space for its sister Laura, but the company failed to spark off decent sales of its successor in the country. Therefore, the Volkswagen's wholly owned subsidiary is believed to be working towards again following in its own footsteps and hoping for a complete turnaround in the Indian auto scene.