The skyrocketing fuel prices are making it difficult to maintain an ICE engine driven vehicle. The reason why we are witnessing the resurrection of CNG powered vehicles. While CNG powered vehicles might not be as peppy as their other counterparts, it is worth noting that they are a lot cheaper to run. Several manufacturers are currently testing CNG variants of their standard cars and they are constantly being spied on the streets as well. It is a well-established fact that Skoda too, is trying its hand at spawning a CNG variant of its Rapid sedan.
More details
Now, Director of Skoda India, Zac Hollis, has confirmed in an impromptu social media interaction that the company is indeed testing a CNG variant of the mid-size sedan.
Expected specs
CNG version of the 1.0-litre TSI motor is already available on several European markets. The same specifications are expected to be offered in India too. Going by the specifications of the Euro-spec model, Rapid CNG witnesses a significant drop in power output. In the CNG form, the 1.0-litre TSI unit generates only 89 bhp as opposed to 109 bhp produced in the standard-spec model. The loss in power is, however, made up for with its excellent fuel efficiency figures.
New Skoda Rapid
The Skoda Rapid is the Czech carmaker’s one of the most popular offerings in our country and enjoys a good demand. It has been here for the last 10 years and if you look at the overall proposition, there hasn’t been any drastic change and the Rapid has started demanding a thorough overhaul. While we were expecting Skoda to roll out the next-gen Rapid in 2021, Skoda India’s Director for Sales, Service and Marketing, Zac Hollis has already confirmed that we will not be getting a new Rapid in 2021. But that’s not it, as he also mentioned that Skoda is considering introducing an all-new, bigger sedan that will be based on VW’s MQB A0 IN platform. For the uninitiated, VW’s MQB A0 IN platform will underpin the upcoming cars from Volkswagen and Skoda like the VW Taigun and the Skoda Vision IN.
We can expect the new upcoming sedan from Skoda to be bigger than the Rapid and also, pack some more features because when it comes to that, Skoda offers only bare essentials with the Rapid and it isn’t enough to keep up with the competition because it includes the likes of Hyundai Verna and Honda City, both of which are packed to the gills with modern-day features.