Undoubtedly, the festive season in India means lots of great deals. As it is now on its peak, all the automobile manufacturers started rolling their all-new as well as upgraded models in the market. Recently, Honda and Toyota have announced the launch of their highly anticipated models, namely next generation Accord hybrid and 2016 Fortuner that will occur near around Diwali. Similarly, the Czech automaker Skoda has also made its mind and release its much awaited Rapid facelift into the Indian car segment. Fresh reports from the Autocar suggest that it will happen on November 3.
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The 2016 Skoda Rapid facelift will grab the attention for revamped exteriors with more angular styling and updated powertrain. The powerhouse includes a 1.5-litre diesel engine with slight increase in power of 110 Bhp. The boost up in power is the result of heavy localisation and an addition of a locally inspired larger turbocharger unit. With information available, it is the same diesel engine that comes attached with recently introduced Volkswagen Ameo diesel and could get to see with upcoming Vento any soon. Moreover, the facelifted Rapid will continue to be powered by a 1.6-litre petrol engine. Both the trim levels will come equipped with a 5-speed manual transmission as standard, while the diesel unit will be complemented by a 7-speed DSG unit.
On the designing front, the Skoda Rapid facelift is likely to share some cues with the latest generation Superb and Skoda Octavia sedans. Pursuing the details, it will host redesigned face integrated with a new front bumper, headlamp clusters and grille that is wider than the run-of-the unit. In addition, the headlights will come up with LED daytime running lights as part of the package, whereas side profile remains unchanged. Moving to the rear profile, it houses a new bumper and a spoiler.
On the inside, the latest iteration is expected to get a revised interior along with some tweaks over the dashboard as well. In terms of the features, it is likely to sport a new touchscreen MirrorLink infotainment system with Bluetooth telephony and Android Auto connectivity, premium leather upholstery for seats, rain sensing wipers, automatic headlamps along with auto dimming IRVM and reverse parking sensors with a camera. However, the features will be limited to the high-end variant only. For safety, it will be attached with dual front airbags and ABS as a standard attachment across all the mills.
Image Courtesey: Motoroids
Having all these subtle changes, the car will make you run for around INR 8 Lakhs (Ex-showroom) for entry level unit and INR 13.5 Lakhs (Ex-showroom) for high-end trim. Upon launch, it will take on the likes of Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Maruti Ciaz and Volkswagen Vento.
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