The Hindu Business Line : Skoda accelerates with quick launches

SKODAAUTO India's strategy has been akin to that of the tortoise in Aesop's Fables: Measured, steady and understated. Such an approach is unusual for companies in the automobile industry. But after making product launches with agonisingly long intervals, last month the company pulled the wraps off two new variants in quick succession.

The station wagon market has not picked up in India, but that can be said only about the lower priced C-segment cars that were launched in the estate or station wagon versions, such as the Palio Adventure Weekend, the Corsa Sail Swing and the Indigo Marina. Other manufacturers have really not explored the market for estates in the premium end of the C-segment.

The lukewarm response to the hatchback station wagon variants in the entry-level has not deterred Skoda from launching the new SkodaOctavia Combi.

The Combi is a clone of the original Octavia, save the fifth door (hatch) and the larger boot. The Combi is being offered in two variants — Laurin & Klemant (L&K, named after Skoda's founders) and RS (short for rally sport). The L&K comes with a 1.9-litre turbo diesel engine and the Combi RS has the same 1.8-litre turbo petrol engine of the Octavia RS.

The Combi is expected to boost the appeal of the Octavia with its value for money pricing. In keeping with this theme, the Combi will continue to offer all of the luxury and sporty features of the original L&K and RS respectively.

For customers looking for an extra-spacious boot, the Combi offers a massive 1,512 litres of storage capacity with the rear seats folded and about 550 litres when they are not. The Combi also comes with steering mounted controls for the music system and cruise control keys for automatically maintaining a steady speed on the highway.

Skoda is also offering parking sensors as part of standard fitment. The sensors, mounted at the rear of the Combi, are designed to warn the driver of a potential obstacle when the car is being reversed or during parking. With the oversized hatch door, users will appreciate the parking sensor.

The other highlights of the new Combi are the Recaro type bucket seats with leather upholstery in the RS, wood trim centre console and door trims, electrical sunroof, stainless steel pedals with non-slip rubber pads, maxi-dot multifunction, multi-information dashboard indicators and heated, six-way adjsutable seats in the L&K .

The Combi is priced marginally higher than the respective semi-notchback versions. While the RS Combi costs about Rs 14 lakh, the L&K Combi is priced at about Rs 14.5 lakh (both ex-showroom, prices vary from city to city). The Combi is available at over 39 Skoda dealerships around the country.

The diesel Superb

SkodaAuto India has also launched a new diesel version of its flagship sedan model, the Superb. The extremely well built Superb has been vying for a share in the segment dominated by the Mercedes Benz `C' Class and to a lesser extent the Toyota Camry.

The new Superb is being offered with a 2.5-litre turbocharged, direct-injected diesel engine. This is the first six-cylinder turbo diesel engine in the country, generating a respectable 163 bhp of peak power.

This front-wheel drive car also features a five-speed `triptronic' automatic transmission. The car is available in four colours — Sahara Beige, Black Magic, Candy White and Diamond Silver.

The SkodaSuperb is already available with a 2.8-litre, V6 petrol engine that pumps out 190 bhp of peak power. The new diesel Superb is also built on the same B5 platform and the 4,803-mm car features a massive wheelbase of over 2,800 mm.

The selling point of the Superb is the ample leg space and the exclusive, luxurious trim vis-à-vis the other cars in the segment. The car also has the widest doors in its class.

Some of the other exclusive features of the Superb are the four-way electrically adjustable, heated front seats with three memory settings, glove box with cooled storage, bi-xenon headlamps with dynamic adjustment telescopic washers, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, sun/moon roof, and luxury interiors with Victoria Onyx and Ivory nappa leather and Vavona wood tone trim.

Safety features include six airbags, anti-lock brakes with electronic brake force distribution and the Skoda electronic stability programme.

These are in addition to the other regular safety add-ons. The new Superb diesel costs about Rs 22 lakh (ex-showroom).

With the new diesel engine and the promise of lower running cost per kilometre, the Superb is even more of an attractive option for car buyers in the luxury E-segment of the market.

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