PARIS MOTOR SHOW: Skoda Rapid
Skoda reveals its family-friendly five-door, the new Rapid sedanSkoda has debuted its small sedan, the Rapid, at the 2012 Paris Motor Show. Based on the architecture found beneath Volkswagen’s Indo-Chinese Polo, the sharply-styled five-door boasts Skoda’s one-piece hatch, generous accommodation and a choice of economic petrol and diesel engines.
Targeted at established and developing markets alike, the model aims to be price competitive, and will be positioned between the Fabia and Octavia both in terms of size, and price.
“The Skoda Rapid is the new class of Skoda in every respect, setting standards in the compact segment in terms of space, design, practicality and price-value ratio,” said Skoda CEO, Winfried Vahland. “This car will become our largest-volume model after the Octavia and will give us a strong tailwind on international markets.”
“Both the Rapid’s concept and package are typically Skoda: convenient, clever, chic and reliable,” continued Mr Vahland. “For a compact saloon, the Rapid is extraordinarily flexible and can be said to have qualities the like of an estate (wagon) car. This car is sure to make a strong impression in the segment on European markets.”
In Europe, the Rapid is available with a choice of four petrol engines, three displacing 1.2 litres (the base unit of which is a three-cylinder), with the range-topper a 1.4-litre. Output ranges from 55kW/112Nm through to 90kW/200Nm with combined fuel economy averages ranging from 4.9 to 5.9L100km. Surprisingly, the smallest three-cylinder multipoint offering is the least economical of all. However it will score points in developing markets for its low price, and technological simplicity.
On the diesel front, Rapid offers a choice of three 1.6-litre four-cylinder units outputting between 66kW/230Nm and 77kW/250Nm. The more economic option for Rapid, TDI (turbo diesel) variants consume between 3.9 and 4.4L/100km on the combined cycle.
European sales of the new Skoda Rapid will begin in October 2012 with Australia expected to receive the model in mid 2013.
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