Festive season is coming: Skoda India to jazz up portfolio with Octavia RS, Kodiaq, Rapid Monte Carlo

Czech automobile manufacturer Skoda Auto's Indian subsidiary Skoda Auto India Pvt Ltd kick started 2017 by launching Octavia Onyx edition in February. The company then launched facelifted Octavia sedan in July. But that's not the half of it. The company is readying three more models to spice up the upcoming festive season.

Skoda officials confirmed the arrival of Rapid Monte Carlo edition, Octavia RS and Kodiaq in 2017. The Rapid Monte Carlo edition is a special edition with cosmetic add-ons while the Octavia RS is the most potent version of the sedan. On the other hand, Kodiaq is the flagship SUV of the brand.

Rapid Monte Carlo

Skoda India will soon start accepting the bookings for the Rapid Monte Carlo edition and prices will be revealed by mid-August. Deliveries are streamlined from September.

The Rapid Monte Carlo Edition pays homage to Skoda's racing heritage and comes with major cosmetic add-ons. Launched globally in 2015, the Monte Carlo edition gets blacked out front grille, roof, alloy wheels, boot lid spoiler, wing mirrors, bumper and side skirts. The red exterior shade will be exclusive for the special edition.

The interior will be spruced up with all-black upholstery with contrast stitching, a new flat-bottom steering wheel and metal finished pedals. Faux-carbon fibre trim on the dashboard, mobile holder, special floor mats and red stitching on the gear knob are the other major changes over the regular model.

Mechanically, the Rapid Monte Carlo will remain the same and continue with the 1.5-litre diesel unit of Volkswagen Ameo. The sedan will be offered in 1.6-litre MPI petrol motor as well.

Octavia RS

Skoda will bring back the RS nameplate with the Octavia in September. The potent avatar of the Octavia sedan now features a wider radiator grille and air intake. The four full-LED headlights, as well as the LED side-mounted headlights, are improvements on the previous version. The rear will be dominated by a black diffuser and red reflector lamp above. An updated suspension setup will also be part of the package.

The Octavia RS has been confirmed in three trims: 230hp 2.0 TSI petrol mated to a six-speed manual or a six-speed DSG, 184hp 2.0 TDI diesel mated to a six-speed manual and a six-speed DSG and 184hp 2.0 TDI diesel mated to a six-speed DSG in AWD avatar.

Kodiaq

The launch of Kodiaq SUV is slated for the Q4 of 2017. The seven-seater Kodiaq will take on the likes of Toyota Fortuner and Ford Endeavour. The Kodiaq is the first SUV extracted from the VisionS design study concept Skoda unveiled at the 86th Geneva Motor Show in March. It comes with precise and crisp body lines and a face similar to the current generation cars of Skoda.

Based on the same MQB platform that also underpins the Volkswagen Tiguan, the Kodiaq is 4,697mm long, 1,882mm wide and 1,676mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,791mm. The India-spec model is expected to get 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines. The four-cylinder turbocharged petrol mill is expected produce 177hp of power and 320Nm of peak torque. The diesel mill will be available in two state of tunes- 147hp/340Nm and 187hp/ 400Nm. Both engines will be to a seven-speed DSG automatic transmission as standard and power will be transmitted to all four wheels.