Skoda Rolls Out New Rapid Small Sedan in India [with Video]

In the next step towards its bold goal of increasing Skoda's worldwide sales to at least 1.5 million vehicles per year by 2018, the Volkswagen Group revealed a new entry-level Skoda sedan named Rapid at its Pune plant in western India on Sunday.

Although it had been suggested that the Rapide may be the production version of Skoda's MissionL concept that was show in Frankfurt last month, this doesn't seem to be the case.

Instead, the Rapid, which borrows its name from the rear-engine Skoda coupe of the mid-late 1980s, is a rebadged version of the Indian market VW Vento, otherwise known as the Polo sedan.

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SCOOP: Facelifted 2012 Skoda Superb and Octavia Snapped Testing in the Alps

While the Volkswagen Group is keeping itself busy with new introductions such as the VW brand's Up! and the soon-to-be launched Skoda MissionL (albeit under a different name), the company has not forget about its current portfolio and is working on improving its offerings in all segments.

This time, our team of spy photographers snagged the 2012 Skoda Superb facelift in sedan form undergoing testing in the Alps.

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Czech...this out: Skoda Octavia Scout

Skoda is entering the crossover territory with its new Octavia Scout that will make its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show at the end of September 2006. Nothing special, as differences between the stock Octavia Station Wagon and the Scout basically sum up to the slightly upraised ground clearance and a few plastic add-ons. If your still intrested and willing to pay a "few" euros more, market introduction for the Scout, is planned for the first quarter of 2007.

Press Release: The Octavia Scout radiates a feeling of both power and dynamics. Robust and authentic, it is representative of the brand's competence in four-wheel drive and represents a further step in the still-young life cycle of the Octavia.

Its ground clearance is 40 millimetres higher than that of the Octavia Combi and 16 mm greater than that of the Octavia Combi 4x4, thus increasing its off-road ability considerably, enabling it to master poor and rutted tracks effortlessly.

The reliable four-wheel drive estate car, with its boot volume of up to 1620 litres, can cope with even the most demanding transport tasks and is ideally suited for hard daily use or as a partner for leisure and vacation.

The Octavia Scout, at 4581 millimetres in length, is one centimetre longer, 1.5 centimetres wider and 1.3 centimetres higher than the Octavia 4x4. Newly designed bumpers at the front and rear, body-colour side mouldings and profiled door sills lend the Scout its design and are also an indication of its possible uses. Protective strips on the wheel housings, front door sills with "Scout" engraved on them and sumpguard protection front and rear equip the car for difficult tasks. The 17" Proteus� alloy wheels cope with even the worst roads and provide reliability in the flight from the humdrum of the day. The Octavia Scout is also distinguished by its exclusive logo and polished steel dual exhaust pipes.

In the interior, the driver and passengers enjoy outstanding comfort. Under the comfortable front central armrest is the Jumbo box, a spacious storage compartment, something which normally is offered only in higher level models. Upholstery that is exclusive to the Octavia Scout, and a front passenger handgrip on the dashboard are further characteristics of the new model.

The Skoda Octavia Scout is supplied with the most powerful diesel and petrol engines - the 2.0 TDI PD diesel engine with 103 kW (140 HP) and the 2.0 FSI petrol engine with 110 kW (150 HP), both of which are four cylinder engines. The diesel is fitted with a diesel particle filter (DPF) as standard. Both engines are combined with a 6speed manual transmission.

To provide its off-road capability, the Octavia Scout is fitted with the well-proven four-wheel drive system from Skoda Auto. The core of the drive train is the Haldex multi-plate clutch installed in front of the rear axle.

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