At last, the Czech car maker Skoda unveiled its mid-sized sedan Rapid on 16th November in India with much aplomb. The car has been priced between Rs. 6.75 lacs - Rs. 9.19 lacs, ex-showroom Delhi, thus putting it within the reach of the masses.
Part of the auto conglomerate Volkswagen, the company's wholly-owned subsidiary Skoda Auto India strongly believes that the Rapid would probably surface as its best-selling car in India in the coming time. It further claimed that the sales of the latest car are expected to outpace the figures registered by its compact car Fabia.
"India is a very important market for us. There was a gap between our compact car Fabia and the sedan Laura. To fill that gap, we have launched the Rapid in the C segment," Skoda Auto India Marketing Head Tarun Jha said while addressing the media during the launch event.
Talking about the sales expectations, Skoda Auto India Associate Director, Sales and Aftersales, Ashutosh Dixit said, "We are targeting to sell more than 2,000 cars every month. The C segment is likely to grow at above 5 per cent this year."
Skoda expects the demand of the diesel variant to be much higher, owing to the widening gap between the prices of the primary fuels. While the petrol variant will be available within a price range of Rs. 6.75 lacs and Rs. 8.99 lacs, ex-showroom Delhi, the diesel model is priced at Rs. 7.95 lacs to Rs. 9.19 lacs, ex- showroom Delhi.
In an earlier statement, the company said that it was sincerely mulling upon disseminating cars manufactured in India to global markets, in future, starting from Rapid itself.
"This car is specifically designed for India and the launch will be the global launch for the car. At a later stage, it may be introduced in different markets across the world," Jha added. He also stated that Skoda may export the Rapid later. As matter of fact, the company currently does not export any of its models from India.
Thus, Skoda seems to adopt an aggressive strategy, in order to make the best use of the rapid growth persisting in the Indian market currently.
Rapid, induced with the power of a 1.6-litre engine, would be available in both petrol and diesel variants. Skoda Rapid is believed to share the platform with Volkswagen's Vento, which has tasted coveted success in the country within a short span of time. Vento is available in 5 petrol and diesel variants priced between Rs. 7.8 lacs and Rs. 9.2 lacs, a fact that will act favourably for Skoda Auto India. Rapid will also give tough competition to established cars like Honda City, Maruti Suzuki SX4, Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire, Hyundai Verna Fluidic and Nissan Sunny.
Thus, it can be justified that Skoda Auto India has developed a winning formula with a feature-rich car that offers a good driving experience to buyers within a set budget; thereby, paving the way for immense success in the market.
