The New Skoda Octavia Is Coming To India By The End Of 2020

• The 2020 Skoda Octavia is longer and more spacious than the existing model.
• It comes with a new interior design that’s seen in plenty of Skoda cars abroad.
• Noted features include connected car technology, panoramic sunroof and a head-up display.
• Expected to come with a 1.5-litre TSI engine that develops 150PS and 250Nm.
• Next-gen Octavia RS could debut along with the standard model in India.

Skoda Auto India has confirmed that the new Octavia will come to India by the end of 2020. It will be launched in India as a completely knocked down (CKD) unit and will initially come with a BS6-compliant petrol engine. Nope, the 2020 Octavia won’t make it to the Auto Expo 2020 as Skoda is focussing on new India-specific cars. Skoda also informed us that the next-gen Octavia RS could be launched along with the standard model as a CBU. Meanwhile, Skoda will pull the plug on the existing Octavia in April 2020. 

Skoda had taken the wraps off the 2020 Octavia in Prague, Czech Republic, in November 2019. It’s underpinned by the MQB platform and is larger than the existing model despite having a similar wheelbase. Skoda also claims that the new car has 78mm more rear knee room. 

Visually, the 2020 Octavia looks like a mini Superb. The front-end comes with a sleeker and wider butterfly grille that is flanked by new single-piece LED headlamps while the front bumper comes with sleeker air dams and LED fog lamps. In profile, the new Octavia looks familiar to the existing model and gets new design elements like a sharper character line and dual tone alloy wheels. At the rear, the Octavia comes with new split LED tail lamps and a revised tailgate. The arrowhead Skoda badge has also been traded in for the ‘SKODA’ nomenclature. 

Inside, the new Octavia’s dashboard design is similar to plenty of Skoda and Volkswagen cars sold abroad. The dashboard is dominated by two big screens - a digital driver’s display and a 10-inch floating infotainment. Then there is the new gear selector toggle and a new 2-spoke steering wheel.  

The new Octavia also comes loaded to the gills with features. Notable among these are the connected car technology,  panoramic sunroof, a head-up display, Canton sound system, dual-zone climate control, ambient lighting, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, multi-info display, Smartlink+ as well as keyless entry with push button start.

Safety features include eight airbags, ABS with EBD, front and rear parking sensors, rear view camera, electronic stability control, traction control and more. Driver assistance features like collision avoidance assist, exit warning (blind spot detection) and fatigue warning are unlikely to make it to the India-spec model. 

Under the hood, the 2020 Octavia comes with a plethora of powertrain options including a CNG and plug-in hybrid powertrain. However, the 1.5-litre TSI with a 48v mild hybrid system with could be the only engine on offer in the India-spec model initially. It develops 150PS of power and 250Nm of torque and can be had with either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed DSG. Chances of seeing a TDI engine are slim as Skoda Auto Volkswagen India is planning to have a petrol-only portfolio in the BS6 era. 

Skoda also told that it could launch the next-gen Octavia RS as a CBU along with the standard model in India. Powertrain options for the new Octavia RS are yet to be revealed. Meanwhile, Skoda will launch the Octavia RS245 in our country post Auto Expo 2020. 

We expect the 2020 Skoda Octavia to cost slightly more than the current model which starts from Rs 18 lakh (ex-showroom India). When launched, it will renew its rivalry with the Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra and Toyota Corolla Altis.