Skoda, the wholly owned subsidiary of German auto marque Volkswagen, has phased out the base variant of its Fabia hatchback. With the base model removed from the company's hatchback portfolio, consumers now have the option of choosing from either of the Ambition Plus and Elegance variants of Fabia hatch.
Fabia was Skoda's maiden hatchback offering in the Indian market and was launched in 2007. The vehicle's steep price tag hindered its sales and Skoda's ordinary after sales service did little help for the car. However, in the year 2010, the company remodelled its strategy and introduced a refurbished Fabia with a better engine and performance under its belt. The reworked car's price tag was also lowered but the vehicle failed to really entice Indian car enthusiasts.
The current prevalent trend followed by car makers in the country is to trim down the base models of their cars to such a level that they lack the basic necessities like power windows and power steering. Accordingly, the entire enterprise solely remains an effort towards attracting buyers to the stores because of the eye catching low price tags with very few buyers ending up in buying those base models. Skoda has established its reputation in the country as a premium vehicle maker and its decision of phasing out Fabia's base model underlines the fact that the company is not interested in entry-level small car segment.
The removal of base model of Fabia hatch by Skoda India will result in the company's current line-up in the segment to comprise Ambition Plus and Elegance variants of the car.
Fabia range will feature a 3-cylinder 1.2 litre petrol and 1.2 litre diesel engines with both of them mated to a five speed manual transmission system. However, Skoda may soon launch an automatic transmission system in petrol variant of the Fabia.
The petrol variant of Fabia hatch starts from Rs. 5.42 lacs (average ex-showroom price) and the diesel version Ambition Plus variant of the Fabia, comes with a price tag of Rs. 6.63 lacs.
The move may not much influence the sales for Skoda in the Indian car market as most of its sales comprise of top-end versions of Fabia hatchback, notchback Octavia and Laura sedan. The Skoda Rapid sedan, the latest offering from Skoda, is also a promising addition to the company's arsenal. The decision will further ensure Skoda's image as a premium auto maker in the country.
