Compact cars are becoming increasingly popular, thanks to the lower excise duty they attract. Compact sedans are now becoming the most sought after, with many manufacturers working on bringing out a sedan measuring less than 4-metres in length. Tata Motors started it with the Indigo CS, Maruti Suzuki followed with the new Swift DZire. Soon Mahindra will launch a sub 4-metre Verito sedan, which will be priced aggressively against competitors like the Toyota Etios and Ford Classic.
Volkswagen recently confirmed their plans to bring in the Up! hatchback. The company has however not disclosed a time frame for the launch and has already started testing the vehicle on Indian roads. The German automaker also expressed its interest to develop a sub 4-metre compact sedan based on the Up! platform. Volkswagen developed the Vento for emerging markets like India and Russia. The Vento is heavily based on the Polo hatchback and is also known as the Polo sedan in some countries.
Read the Skoda Citigo Review
There is no doubt that Skoda will bring in the Citigo once the Up! is launched. When the Up! sedan arrives, Skoda will also launch a Citigo sedan and our rendering shows the Skoda compact sedan to be a very attractive looking car. If priced right, the Citigo compact sedan has what it takes to boost volumes for Skoda. Currently Skoda’s best selling model in the Indian market is the Rapid sedan. The Citigo sedan will use the same 1.2-litre petrol engine which does duty in the Fabia, although a TSI motor could also be offered. The diesel engine would be the upcoming 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder unit which is currently under development. Expect the Skoda Citigo sedan to be priced between Rs. 5-7 lakhs.