[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75tGSLkIZxc 540 375]
The Skoda Rapid is scheduled to be launched early November in India and will be yet another entrant in the highly competitive C-Segment. The Rapid sedan is Skoda’s take on the Volkswagen Vento and the car shares almost everything with its sibling from VW. The Rapid borrows styling cues from the Fabia at the front, while at the rear it is a carbon copy of the Vento. To be powered by the same engines which do duty on the Vento, the Rapid will offer Skoda a chance to take away vital market share from the Honda City and Hyundai Verna. Skoda has now released a teaser video of the Rapid, which talks about the worldwide first drive coming soon. Small glimpses of the Rapid are shown in the video, which was released by Skoda India yesterday.
The Skoda Rapid will be powered by a 1.6-liter petrol and diesel engines, both of which produce 105 BHP of power. The petrol motor produces 153 Nm of torque, while the oil burner offers more twist at 250 Nm. A 5-speed manual gearbox will do duty on the Rapid, but a 6-speed automatic is expected to be offered at a later stage. The USP of the Rapid will be its price, which is expected to be close to Rs. 40,000/- cheaper than the Vento, offering similar levels of equipment and space as the Volkswagen.
Update (31/10/2011) – Skoda has intimated to us that the launch of the Rapid will be on the 16th of November, 2011.
