It was the second generation Fabia which was introduced to us Indians by Skoda India. Launched in 2007, the generously priced hatchback garnered a lot of praises from the media, but failed to live up to the hype created by the earlier generation Octavia.
Despite its age, the Fabia made for a compelling buy for those looking for a comfortable, solidly built hatchback with impressive on-road manners. However, low sales and a substantial loss incurred on every unit sold prompted Skoda to discontinue the model last year.
Now, as Skoda prepares to undertake the next phase of expansion by introducing more models and higher localization content, the brand is also expected to bring back the Fabia, this time in an all-new avatar which is due for a global launch by the end of this year. According to Skoda India’s managing director, Sudhir Rao, the brand is now in a sustainable growth phase and is hard at work to improve ownership experience and curb excessive service costs.
"Fabia initially started in a nice way with slight premium pricing. Without talking about the future products, I would like to say that it is important for us to be in that segment, but it is also important for us to do it in a right manner and ensure that we identify a sub segment in that category that is looking for a little more premium. Yes, we are looking at a Fabia replacement but will stick to Skoda's image," said Rao.
Talking about the next-gen Fabia, the car is expected to take design inspiration from the Vision D Concept showcased at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. In contrast to the conservative designs seen in the Rapid and the Octavia, the new Fabia is expected to feature a new, more expressive design philosophy. Now let us all hope Skoda India is well prepared by the time it launches the new Fabia.
Source: dnaindia
