SPY PICS: Rapid new Skoda breaks cover

Skoda’s first direct rival for top-selling small cars like the Mazda3 and Toyota Corolla has broken cover in Europe weeks ahead of its global launch in Slovakia next month, with an Australian release to follow next year .

As these exclusive Carparazzi spy shots of the all-new Rapid sedan show, the production version will remain faithful to the MissionL concept that previewed it at the Frankfurt Motor Show last September.

Don’t be fooled by the bulbous headlights: the circular shapes overlapping the bonnet and front wings are in fact created by strategically positioned camouflage tape designed to mislead onlookers into believing Skoda’s newest model will depart from tradition by featuring large, bug-eyed headlights.

In reality, the exterior design of the Rapid – a new/old nameplate that Skoda confirmed will be deployed globally at last month’s Beijing Motor Show – will remain faithful to that of the MissionL concept, including its sleek new slim-line headlights flanking a new take on Skoda’s vertically slotted grille.

Similarly, the Rapid prototype seen here features old-school Skoda tail-lights - once again created by clever masking tape – that disguise the more angular new production clusters seen on the MissionL.

Although the Rapid will be launched first as a sedan (not a liftback, as suggested by the earlier Vision D design concept), its new rear-end signature will be echoed by the hatchback body style to come next year, giving Skoda full coverage of Australia’s largest single vehicle sales segment.

The Rapid will be released in Europe by around August this year, before slotting into Skoda’s Australian range between the light-sized Fabia hatchback and small/medium Octavia liftback and wagon range by mid-2013.

A redesigned version of the Octavia will itself be revealed in Europe this year, before arriving here after the Rapid next year. Expect it to grow in size to become a bona-fide mid-sizer to compete with mainstream Japanese models like Toyota’s locally built Camry and the Mazda6, which will also be renewed by next year.

Like the new Octavia, the Rapid will be positioned as a value-leader in its segment, meaning it will stay true to the original brief of Volkswagen’s Czech brand: deliver VW technology in a unique package at a lower price.

That means the Rapid sedan should not undercut VW’s Jetta, which currently starts at $26,490 for the 1.4-litre 118TSI, but also offer more equipment for less money than direct small sedan competitors like Holden’s homegrown Cruze, the Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Kia Cerato, Mitsubishi Lancer, Subaru Impreza,  Mazda3, Corolla and Nissan’s upcoming Pulsar.

Equally, the Rapid hatch to follow should offer better value than VW’s own Golf – the seventh-generation of which will emerge at the Paris show in September – as well as five-door versions of all of the above models.

Naturally, the Rapid will be powered by a familiar suite of VW petrol and diesel engines, including the twin-charged 1.4 TSI, although it is not yet clear whether the Rapid will be based on a stretched version of VW’s Fabia/Polo B-segment platform or the new modular underpinnings of the upcoming Mk7 Golf.

It will play a pivotal role in Skoda’s ambitions to nearly double its worldwide sales – from about 800,000 last year to 1.5 million - by 2018, by introducing a new model every six months on average in coming years.

The Rapid name was announced by Skoda CEO Winfried Vahland at the Beijing show, where the company unveiled a unique version to be built and sold in China. It is also seen on a compact Skoda sedan launched last November in India, but was worn by a rear-engined, rear-wheel drive Skoda coupe sold in Europe in the 1980s.

“The Rapid is our next new model,” said Mr Vahland last month in China – Skoda’s largest global market since 2010. “It has a central importance for our growth and will provide us with a strong tailwind on international markets.”

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