LEGACY OF SUCCESS

In March, the Škoda Slavia premium sedan will be launched in India. Škoda look to build on their sedan legacy

- Kurt Morris

THE FIRST-GENERATION OCTAVIA was introduced in November 1996 and it was manufactured at a modernized Škoda facility in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic. The Octavia landed in India in 2002 and was an instant hit. It garnered a cult-like following in India due to its fuel-efficient engines and strong build quality. Even today, one comes across people who still adore the first-generation Octavia and have clocked lakhs of kilometres in their cars.

Škoda's reputation for good value, durability, and appropriate functional products was cemented with the Octavia, a larger, better-built car that propelled the company further upmarket. The Škoda Octavia wasted little time in blowing the competitors out of the water. Excellent handling, a low starting price, and a brilliantly designed turbocharged direct injection (TDI) diesel engine that provided impressive fuel economy as well as high power and torque output made the Octavia a far better option than its rivals and, thus, it was a sensational success among premium sedan buyers in India. Every other model in the Škoda car line-up in India, including those locally made as well as those imported from Škoda’s international production divisions, has the same remarkable design attributes as the Octavia.