It’s Taken Skoda Over Two Decades To Sell One Lakh Octavias In India

It’s not an easy feat to keep producing a car that is in tune with customer expectations over multiple generations, but Skoda has managed to do just that with the Octavia sedan. The nameplate has been here in India for over two decades and now, the sedan has hit a landmark milestone by crossing 1 lakh sales units over its lifespan in the country. 

How It All Started

The Skoda Octavia name actually dates all the way back to 1959, featuring an in-line, four-cylinder 1.1-litre engine. It remained in production until 1971. We didn’t see the name return globally until 1996, thanks to help from the VW Group, when the sedan was reborn as the Octavia Mk1.

Octavia’s Journey In India

The Octavia is an important model in Skoda India’s history as the carmaker kicked off its India journey with this very sedan in 2001. At that time, it was quite the premium offering with bits such as  power-adjustable ORVMs, ABS, power windows, dual front airbags, power steering and more. Another highlight was the Octavia’s cabin, which in true German style, was functional and well built, which helped the sedan gain popularity in India.

The sedan got the performance  vRS badge in 2004, with the second-generation model showing up as the Laura in 2005. The first-generation model sold alongside it until 2010. Next came the third-generation model in 2013, whose journey lasted till 2020, with the RS245 being its swansong. 

2021 saw the fourth and latest iteration of the Octavia go on sale in India, which came with a brand new design, as well as a raft of new bits on board. The sedan currently retails from Rs. 26.85 lakh to Rs 29.85 lakh (ex-showroom, India), and is offered in the Style and Laurent & Klement trims. 

While it currently sits in a niche segment with no direct competitors with the likes of the Honda Civic and Hyundai Elantra having been discontinued, it’s a good thing to know that the sedan which started Skoda’s Indian journey, continues to chug along.