New Skoda Rapid is a Polo Sedan with a Fabia head!

New Skoda Rapid is a Polo Sedan with a Fabia head!

It’s badge engineering at it’s best – the Skoda Rapid just recently launched in India is a Volkswagen Polo Sedan with a Skoda Fabia front end. It’s platform-mate, the Polo Sedan is also on sale in India as the Volkswagen Vento. There seems to be plenty of buyers in India for both cars though – Volkswagen sold 2,143 units of the Vento in January 2012 in India, while the Rapid commanded 1,513 buyers.

The Indian market Skoda Rapid is available with the same engine options as the Vento – either a 1.6 liter petrol or a 1.6 liter TDI diesel, with both engines using a 5-speed manual, and an optional 6-speed automatic for the 1.6 liter petrol.

The Skoda Rapid nameplate originated in the 80s and was used on a coupe that was described by a magazine as a “poor man’s Porsche” in reference to its handling abilities. Wouldn’t it be cool if Skoda added a coupe version of the Rapid later?

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Paul Tan

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Comments

  • wolfsburg on Feb 05, 2012 at 10:08 pm

    VW and Skoda need to work harder. Hyundai sold 4311 Verna’s in India in January.

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  • anakayam on Feb 05, 2012 at 11:02 pm

    i thought skoda already bankrupt?

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    • jay8393 on Feb 05, 2012 at 11:11 pm

      That was Saab. It’s Swedish. Skoda is Czech.

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    • kenso on Feb 06, 2012 at 9:44 am

      Skoda belongs to Volkswagen Audi Group …. for it to bankrupt, it would require the entire group to go bust

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  • nebula87 on Feb 06, 2012 at 2:29 am

    Plastic surgery??

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  • i dream for the day driving a polo with proton badge
    i know it will happen

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • RedBeanBun on Feb 06, 2012 at 9:19 am

    The Protong Passat, the Protong Jetta will come…

    dead on the Protong original design no more..

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  • i see previous Vios headlamps. nevertheless, the car has 5 knuckles. good to go.

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  • Lem0n on Feb 06, 2012 at 11:25 am

    The name is excatly same as Aston Martin a four-door supercar, Rapid. Now you can confuse other people by saying you are drinving a “Rapid”.

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  • Masked Ryder on Feb 06, 2012 at 2:26 pm

    Wonder would Berjaya decide to bring this into Malaysia ? drove Octavia once, real Solid Car.

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  • pedobear88 on Feb 06, 2012 at 9:20 pm

    why headlight like Merc C class?

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  • Mohan Nair on Feb 09, 2012 at 8:50 pm

    A quick update on the sibling the VW Vento.

    A VW Vento caught fire spontaneously in the city of Pune India and the owner died. After this incident VW India disabled the facebook feedback page.

    http://www.indiancarsbikes.in/cars/volkswagen-vento-fire-pune-claims-owners-life-succumbed-burn-injuries-55652/

    http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/car-bursts-into-flames-in-pune-owner-rescued-171862?pfrom=home-cities

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