The Skoda Superb and Octavia are household names in India and they are both set to return. Literally every generation of both cars were sold here, but if you walk into a Skoda showroom today, you are faced with an unfamiliar sight – a dealership floor devoid of either the Octavia or the Superb.
Skoda Superb to be imported first
Petr Janeba, brand director Skoda Auto India, has revealed that Skoda will bring back both the Superb as well as the new Octavia. “There will always be two strategic areas for Skoda in India,” he explains. “On the one hand we will have the heavily localised, made in India cars that will come from the Pune factory [like the Kushaq and Slavia], and on the other we will also have the parts and component cars [locally assembled Octavia and Superb] that will come from our plant in Aurangabad.”
The cars will initially return as full imports, and Skoda will relaunch the previous-generation Superb – that was on sale here – first. The sedan will likely be imported in the most luxurious Laurent and Klement trim, and is slated to return to showrooms in the next couple of months. The all-new fourth-gen Superb is likely to follow around a year later as the car is not on sale globally, and right-hand drive models are still some time away. Plus, one also has to factor in various emissions and regulatory norms.
The import is likely to return with a BS6 Phase 2-compliant 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine that puts out 190hp and 320Nm, and is mated to a 7-speed DSG twin-clutch gearbox. The Superb will be able to accelerate from 0-100kph in 7.8 seconds. “India has around 25,000 Superb customers who are very loyal and are currently unhappy (because there is no Superb on sale),” says Janeba. The imported Superb, however, will be considerably more expensive, and we expect prices to start at around Rs 43 lakh.
Skoda Octavia to follow
When Skoda first came to India back in 2001, it opened its innings with the first-gen Octavia. Available in petrol, diesel as well as a sporty turbo-petrol a bit later, the solidly engineered Czech sedan or fastback blew Indian car buyers away with its combination of practicality, robust build and fun-to-drive manners.
Skoda India wants to serve this audience of 70,000 customers as well. “The Octavia will have a long life and will run all the way to 2034 with a series of facelifts and updates.” No timeline has currently been set on the return of the Octavia, but Skoda says it is working on it. Imports are likely to be looked at in the interim as “parts and components preparation could take around 18 months, as the car's emissions now have to be tested for 2,00,000 kilometres”, explains Janeba.
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