Saturday, June 23, 2007

Skoda Fabia would finally come to India

Hi Everyone,
It has been expected for a while but no one knew just when the Skoda Fabia would finally come to India.
Now it seems there’s a definite plan to roll out the famed small car in India by the end of this year.
At the launch of Skoda India’s Jaipur dealership recently, Karsten Bogun, managing director (commercial) of Skoda India announced that the Fabia would be part of Skoda’s new aggression in the Indian market.
The hatchback, if it does come, will be positioned in the premium hot hatch segment alongside models like the Swift, Aveo U-VA and Getz.
The sedan should be attractively priced depending upon the level of localisation that the project manages to achieve. Experts say the price aggression is likely given that the company is targetting sales of around 17,000 units this calendar year which works out to around1500-1600 car per month. So far Skoda has sold 43,000 cars in the last five years.
If the hatch does come, Skoda will likely tinker with the length to meet the small car requirements mandatory for tax rebates in India.
The engine size too should be either 1.2 litre or 1.4 litre to qualify for the lower excise tax. The pricing of the sedan could be around Rs 6-7 lakh while the hatch may hover around the Rs 5-6 lakh range.
However Skoda officials say the pricing has not been fixed and the final tag may well be more or less aggressive depending on the positioning of the vehicle.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Skoda Fabia

The Skoda Fabia is going to be miles ahead when it comes to refinement, finishing and functionality. Come on, we are still seeing somebody daring to launch a Logan in this country. The only catch is the need for a green technology in India when it comes to cars. Why can’t Fabia come with a hybrid engine, let the manufacturer make up with a higher price. At least come with a good quality CNG option.
Sudheer.KG, New Delhi