Mumbai rains: Skoda Octavia RS India launch pushed to September 1; bookings, price, specs and more

Czech carmaker Skoda originally planned to launch its performance-oriented Octavia RS in India on August 30. However, heavy rains in Mumbai have forced the company to delay the launch and it is now scheduled for Friday, September 1.

The new Octavia RS has already arrived at some of the showrooms of the company and the images of the model parked at different dealerships have also made it to the web. The new Octavia RS, the most powerful sedan of Skoda, is expected to be priced at around Rs 35 lakh.

Octavia RS will be powered by a 2.0-litre TSI motor, which can churn out 230bhp of power and has a maximum torque of 350Nm at 1,500 to 4,600 rpm. The front-wheel drive sports model sprints from 0 to 100kmph in 6.7 seconds before reaching a top speed of 250kmph. Octavia RS boasts of a revised suspension setup and a wider track in the rear.

Octavia RS features wider radiator grille, large air intakes with honeycomb structure and a redesigned bumper. The four full-LED split-styled headlights and LED side-mounted headlights, LED tail lamps and fog lamps are other highlights of the model. The new Octavia RS gets sporty black interior, RS-Sport seats, pedals in aluminium finish, multifunctional steering wheel, touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, MirrorLink and more. The safety in the Octavia RS will be taken care of by airbags, ESP and a park-assist system.

To be pitted against Audi A3 and Mercedes-Benz GLA in India, the dealerships of the company are currently accepting bookings for the model. The deliveries of the sporty Octavia are expected to begin in September.