It replaces the Rapid which was on sale for a decade.
Skoda discontinued the Rapid in Europe several years ago and replaced it with the more advanced Scala. The model is still available in Russia after a heavy overhaul to make it more comparable with the model that was sold on the Old Continent. You can also get one in China, where it’s made locally by the SAIC/VW joint venture. The affordable family car in India was recently discontinued to make way for the Slavia.
The new spacious sedan is named after Vaclav Laurin, Skoda founder fathers, and Vaclav Klement. It has a trunk lid and looks more like a Fabia. It also bears a striking resemblance with the Volkswagen Virtus model, which is sold in South America, where it serves primarily as a Polo sedan. It measures 4,541 millimeters (179 in) long, 1,752mm (69in) wide and 1,487mm (59in) high. The wheelbase is 2,651mm (104.3 in).
The interior was revealed in a teaser image by Czech brand Fabia a few days back. It featured a heavily derived cabin. This is a huge improvement on the old Rapid, and it looks even more luxurious than Skoda’s Kushaq compact crossover.
The Slavia is equipped with LED lights at the front, rear, digital instrument clusters, and a 10-inch touchscreen. This car meets all the requirements for a vehicle that will go on sale in 2022. The Slavia has ambient lighting, leather-wrapped ventilated seats and a large cargo area of 521 liters. It can also be folded down to reveal a 1,050-liter capacity.
The engine is not powered by a diesel, but only 1.5 TSI or 1.0 TSI gasoline engines will be available. The three-cylinder unit is capable of producing 115 horsepower (85 Kilowatts) as well as 175 Newton-meters (1129 pound-feet). This torque is channeled to front axle via either a six-speed manual transmission or an optional automatic with the exact same number of gears. The four-cylinder unit produces 150 horsepower (110 kW) as well as 250 Nm (184 Lb-ft). It is available with either a six-speed manual transmission or a seven speed DSG.
Skoda Slavia, built in Pune on a MQB-A0-IN platform localized, will use up to 95 percent components from local suppliers.