Does New Fabia Hint At Upcoming Skoda Rapid Successor -- Slavia? | V3Cars

The Skoda Rapid has always borrowed its front fascia from the Fabia hatchback. When the Rapid was first launched in India back in 2011, it looked identical to the second-gen Fabia when seen from the front. Come 2016, Skoda launched Rapid facelift in India that featured a new front fascia while the side and rear profile remained unchanged. Unsurprisingly, the Rapid facelift looked identical to the third-gen Fabia which made its global debut back in 2014 but never went on sale in India.

With the new Rapid successor -- touted to be called Slavia in India, we expect history to repeat itself and the new sedan may look similar to the new Fabia, at least, from the front. It gets more obvious as the new Skoda sedan will be based on the MQB A0 IN platform, which is the Indian version of the MQB A0 platform that underpins the new Fabia. 

The new Skoda sedan has been spotted testing in India. With slim LED headlamps flanking the Skoda grille with a thick chrome surround, the spy images indicate similarity with the new Fabia. The upcoming sedan’s bumper features a large central air dam with a mesh grille flanked by the LED fog lamps. At the back, it gets sleek LED tail lamps that look similar to the units seen on the new Fabia and other modern Skoda cars. 

While the spy shots do not reveal anything about the interior of the upcoming sedan, it is likely to look similar to other modern Skoda cars. Features on offer should include a digital instrument cluster, a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, sunroof, connected car tech, upto 6 airbags, LED headlamps, auto AC with rear AC vents, auto-dimming IRVM, air purifier, parking camera, electronic stability program, hill launch assist and a tyre pressure monitoring system. 

Talking about the dimensions, the Rapid successor will be longer and wider than the current model. It is also expected to have a longer wheelbase resulting in better legroom for the rear occupants. The new Fabia has a wheelbase of 2564mm, 12mm longer than Rapid’s wheelbase of 2552mm. 

As confirmed earlier, Skoda will launch the new sedan. Prices are expected to range from Rs 9 lakh to Rs 15 lakh. It will take on the likes of the Honda City (both 4th and 5th gen models), Hyundai Verna, Maruti Ciaz and upcoming sedans like the next-gen Vento and the Toyota branded Maruti Ciaz.