Skoda has emerged victorious in the upper end of the D-segment with the Superb. The new Superb came and displaced long time leader Honda Accord from its place a few years ago. Since then, there was no looking back for the Czech company. Now Skoda plans to further strengthen its hold on the D-segment with the launch of a cheaper variant of the Superb. Till date, the Superb is available in one trim only, across three engine options – the 1.8 TSI petrol, 2.0 TDI diesel and 3.2 V6 petrol. Skoda plans to launch a lower spec Superb, which will be powered by the 1.8 TSI motor and will be priced around Rs. 17 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi), around Rs. 1.5 lakhs cheaper than the cheapest Superb on sale today.
The new Superb variant, to be called Elegance will be launched in December 2011. To reduce the price, Skoda will be removing some features from the car such as 6-airbags and dual zone climate control. Even with the removal of features, the Superb maintains its USP of exceptional space for the occupants along with solid built quality. This low cost variant of the Superb will only cause further problems for the already troubled Honda Accord, whose sales have dropped amidst sharp rise in fuel prices and interest rates.
