An automotive portal in Slovakia is reporting that Skoda will showcase an inexpensive car to the Moscow Motor Show which takes place between 25th and 29th of August 2010. The reported car is expected to be a replacement to the ‘Octavia Tour’ – the car we knew in India as the Octavia sedan. Since the car is targeted to be an ‘inexpensive’ one, it is being reported that the engine bay will only receive the 1.6-litre petrol and diesel engines from the Volkswagen Vento (Polo sedan for the rest of the world).
However, most other magazines and sources around the world claim that the so-called Octavia replacement is slated for a 2011 or early 2012 debut. So whom do we believe? As far as our understanding goes, the the Octavia replacement will be none other than the sedan variant of the Fabia, or by far, a sedan form based on the Fabia platform with a new look altogether. There were reports that the Skoda Felicia was to be revived and launched as the Octavia replacement. Further, the inclusion of the 1.6-litre petrol and diesel engines from the Vento substantiates the fact that the new car could indeed be built on the PQ25 platform – the same platform that underpins the Polo, Vento and even the Fabia. With the production of the Vento having commenced already at the VW plant in Chakan, we don’t think it would take too long for the new vehicle to start taking form on the same production line considering the fact that they will share a lot of components. Lets wait and watch if SME’s claims are true. For all we know, both SME and the other websites around the globe could be true – with a ‘concept version’ of the new Octavia making it to the Moscow Show this month end and the actual car rolling out in late 2011. Stay tuned!
Source: Auto SME via IndiaAutosBlog