Skoda has announced the Slavia nameplate for a new budget-oriented sedan that is designed for the Indian market. The model, which is the second production model from the ‘India 2.0 project’ following the Kushaq SUV, is scheduled to debut this winter. It is expected to replace the aging Indian-spec Rapid, sitting below the Octavia and Superb models in Skoda’s sedan range.
The Slavia name dates back to the first bicycles produced by Václav Laurin and Václav Klement, founders of Skoda, back in 1896, while it was also used for the motorbikes introduced by Laurin & Klement in 1899. Fast forward to 2020, Skoda used it for a two-seater spider concept and now it will become a name for a production model.
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We have already seen spy pictures of the Slavia during its development in Europe, showing familiar styling cues borrowed from the Fabia supermini. The three-box sedan with a “notchback” silhouette is based on the MQB A0 platform. It looks very similar to the VW Virtus sibling, which is essentially a four-door version of the Polo measuring 4,482 mm (176.5 inches) in length.
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While Skoda hasn’t announced the available engines, we expect the range to be shared with the Kushaq. This means that the Slavia could get the 1.0 TSI three-cylinder and the 1.5 TSI four-cylinder, sending power to the front axle through a manual or a DSG gearbox.
Skoda currently has 165 sales and service locations in India, hoping to increase that number to 225 by the end of next year. The Slavia is expected to “considerably” boost sales in India since this segment is quite popular. The official press release states that the Slavia was “developed specifically for the Indian subcontinent”, but earlier reports suggested that it could become a global model for the Czech brand.
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