Skoda started its operations in the Indian market in the year 2001 with its D-segment sedan, Octavia. The first generation Octavia had set a new trend in the Indian market and had successfully grabbed the attention of the Indian customers. The second generation Octavia was rebadged as the Skoda Laura and was positioned above the first generation Octavia. Due to the dip in sales volumes, Skoda had discontinued the Octavia from the Indian market in 2010 and has re-launched the third generation Octavia this month.
The new Octavia is the main product for Skoda to boost market share and sales volumes in the Indian market. The vehicle replaces the Laura and is bigger in size and lighter too. The new Octavia is expected to capture the imagination and requirements of the Indian customers with its new design language, robust build quality and class leading features. As expected, Skoda has received more than 1000 bookings for the new Octavia within three weeks of its launch and the company officials are delighted with the massive response. Obviously we can’t judge the success of the vehicle by seeing the initial demand as many who have booked the car were prospective Laura buyers who shifted to the Octavia.
The new Skoda Octavia is powered by 1.4-litre and 1.8-litre petrol engines along with a 2.0-litre diesel engine. Skoda has tuned the engines to give high fuel efficiency while performance is also very good with ample amount of output from the motors. Skoda India presently has a network of 98 sales and 91 service outlets across the country and the new Octavia is the first Skoda car in India that carries Skoda’s new design philosophy. The Czech automaker has also started online booking facility for the new Octavia.
