The D-Segment which has been in a state of lull for a while is all set to get some new flavour in the form of the 2013 Skoda Octavia. It is based on the Czech automaker’s Vision D philosophy and was unveiled at the Czech automaker’s factory in December of last year and went on sale 10 days later. It was officially unveiled for the Indian market on August 9 with production of the car at Skoda’s Pune plant having started a few days earlier.
The Octavia moniker returns after half a decade, the original car was revered by many for its performance version RS and the economy of the TDI and luxury of the Laurin & Klement. The Octavia is believed to be one the main reasons why Skoda brand name is associated with build quality and durability. The second generation Octavia was launched for the Indian market as the Laura in 2005.
With the launch scheduled for October 3, we have dug our archives and after some extensive searching, have brought you the highlights from the journey of the Czech automaker upcoming D-Segment car.
First and foremost, we have driven the new Skoda Octavia and have got all the details with regard to the variants, features, engine line up and obviously what it is like to drive on our roads. You can find links to the first drive and the specifications of the vehicle at the bottom of this story.
We have also pitted the Octavia in an head-to-head comparison against its predecessor the Laura to find out what new features and changes the Czech automaker has made to former to make it a more modern and advanced offering.
Our first of many glimpses of the Octavia were through a plethora of spy shots from various locations across the country. Through these we were able to observe many details about the car including the new Skoda logo, the presence of seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox, interior features and overall design. Through these spy shots we also spotted the Octavia testing in tandem on the roads of Mumbai with its sister car, the Mk7 Volkswagen Golf.
Two days before the Indian unveiling, we carried a story detailing the various accessories that Skoda was offering for the Octavia in the global markets. We expect that Skoda will also offer these accessories for its Indian customers once the car is launched.
While the hype has been around the Octavia, we must also speak about the high performance Octavia vRS. It was unveiled a month ahead of its debut at the 2013 Goodwood festival of Speed in June. It has followed in the tradition of all vRS models and features significant design cues to make it a sportier sibling of the standard car. It is available in sedan and estate form and was officially launched at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show.
We will bring you at the details from the launch on the 3rd of October so tune into CarWale from 11:00am to get all the details of the 2013 Skoda Octavia.