Skoda Begins Testing Next-Gen Octavia In India

• The new Octavia sports a heavily revamped design and is slightly longer and wider than its predecessor.

• Likely to be powered by 1.5-litre TSI and 2.0-litre TSI petrol engines in India.

• There won’t be a diesel option at the time of launch.

• India launch likely around early-2021 instead of the initial September 2020 timeline.

• Rivals include the Honda Civic and Hyundai Elantra in India.

Back in November 2019, Skoda Auto globally revealed the 2020 Octavia in Prague, Czech Republic, but since then we haven’t heard anything about its arrival to Indian shores. Now it seems like we may not have to wait too long as the next-gen sedan has been spotted testing on Indian roads completely undisguised. 

The new Octavia will be heavily revamped on the outside. It ditches the previous quad-LED headlamp setup for a more conventional single-piece unit and features a bigger trademark Skoda butterfly grille. From the side profile, it looks like the ride height is slightly higher which is to be expected for the India-spec Octavia. The India-spec model also features restyled alloy wheels, which seem to be 17-inchers compared to the 19-inch wheels offered in the international-spec model. 

At the rear, you get split LED tail lamps, a new tailgate, and the Skoda logo traded in for ‘SKODA’ nomenclature like the facelifted Superb. In terms of dimensions, it is 19mm longer and 15mm wider than its predecessor despite sporting the same 2686mm wheelbase.

The cabin will feature several changes including a new dashboard layout, a sleeker two-spoke steering wheel, and a new centre console housing a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Feature highlights include a 10.25-inch Virtual Cockpit digital instrument cluster, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, connected-car tech with eSIM functionality, a head-up display, Smartlink+ and a panoramic sunroof. Safety will be taken care of by eight airbags, front and rear parking sensors with rearview camera, ABS + EBD, electronic stability control and traction control.  

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Under the hood, the India-spec Octavia is likely to be powered by a 1.5 TSI petrol option delivering 150PS of power. The top-spec variants could get the 190PS 2.0-litre petrol engine. Transmission options are expected to be a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed DSG gearbox. Skoda is unlikely to bring diesel options initially but it could bring the most powerful vRS as a CBU unit similar to the outgoing model.

 

Expect Skoda to launch the next-gen Octavia in India by early-2021 at a premium over its discontinued predecessor that retailed from Rs 17.99 lakh to Rs 25.99 lakh (ex-showroom India) owing to the upgrades on offer. It will go up against the likes of the Honda Civic and Hyundai Elantra in India.

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