The arrival of the new generation Skoda Rapid is unstoppably approaching. Although it won't actually be a Rapida anymore, because according to the domestic car company, the successor will get a new name, which is said to have never been used before. In addition, of course, it will be presented with new technologies and a redesigned design. And what will be the goal? Above all, the Volkswagen Golf!
The head of sales and marketing of the Skoda brand, Alain Favey, said that their presence in the given segment is very humbling, because with the current Rapid Spaceback they failed to appeal to people by being a full-fledged competitor for other cars. Skoda believes that the Rapid's successor will sell twice as much in the first year compared to the current model. In 2017, 66,512 Rapids were sold across Europe.
Favey also pointed out that the new Rapid will be significantly different from the Octavia, so people won't confuse them anymore. In addition, it will not be offered as a station wagon, thus making room for the Octavia Combi, which covers the entire Octavia model range. So this means that the Octavia will no longer be a competitor to the Golf, as it has been until now, but will be replaced by the successor to the Rapid.
The new Rapid will be built on the group's MQB AO platform, on which the Seat Ibiza or Volkswagen T-Roc are currently used. Thanks to the use of this technology, Skoda has room to use the most advanced small-volume engines from Volkswagen, i.e. three-cylinder 1.0 TSI, then 1.5 TSI and maybe also the new 1.6 TDI. As for the interior, we will see progress here as well, as it should offer a new generation of infotainment.
