Skoda has revealed the name of its upcoming entry into the European compact hatch segment. The Skoda Scala will be a replacement for the Rapid Spaceback, competing in a class with stalwarts such as the Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus and Opel/Vauxhall Astra. Also playing in this field are the Renault Megane, Peugeot 308, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla Hatchback, Hyundai i30 and Kia Ceed.
The Scala name derives from the Latin word ‘scala’ which means ‘stairs’, and is a step forward for the Czech carmaker in the segment.
“With the new Skoda Scala we are proposing a new chapter in the compact class of Skoda. It is a completely new development that sets standards in terms of technology, safety and design in this class. Thus we are confident that Scala has the best chance to redefine the segment for Skoda,” said Skoda chairman Bernhard Maier.
Skoda will be looking to do better than the Rapid with the Scala. “How should I put this? Our presence [in this segment] is very humble. With the current Rapid Spaceback, we didn’t manage to come through to convince people that we are a credible competitor in this segment,” Skoda sales and marketing boss Alain Favey admitted to Autocar.
Along with the Scala badge, Skoda also released an image of the car’s rear end, which shows the brand spelled out in wide-spaced letters, like what we saw on the China-only Kodiaq GT sketch earlier. It replaces the Skoda logo on the tailgate. Skoda says that the Scala presents its new “emotional” exterior and interior design language – as seen on the Vision RS concept from Paris 2018 – for the first time in production form.
Due to surface before the end of 2018, the Scala will be the first Skoda to utilise the VW Group’s A0 MQB platform, which already underpins the Volkswagen T-Roc and Seat Ibiza. The next-gen Fabia, set for release in 2020, and Skoda’s upcoming junior SUV will also use the same platform, according to Autocar.
GALLERY: Skoda Vision RS concept
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