Skoda India mulls Rapid based B+ segment hatchback for 2017 and beyond

Volkswagen group owned Czech car maker Skoda is holding back new investment in India. However, the automaker does have plans to launch new cars here. A new hatchback that will sit below the Rapid is what Skoda is said to be considering for the Indian car market. This hatchback will take a while to see the light of the day in India though, what with a 2017+ launch on cards. The 2017 Skoda B+ segment hatchback will be based on the Rapid’s PQ25 platform.

Notably, the Rapid C-Segment sedan itself is due for a major stylistic makeover specific to the Indian car market. The restyling will be handled by Mahindra Engineering Services. In this light, expect the new Skoda B+ segment hatchback to also be an India-specific product tailored to meet the tastes and needs of the car market here. Additionally, the new Skoda hatchback for India will be quite distinct from the 2015 Fabia hatchback that was recently unmasked.

Although the India specific 2015 Skoda hatchback will share its platform with the 2015 Fabia, the cars are expected to be quite different in design terms and engineering specifications. If the India-specific B+ segment hatchback makes it to the market here by 2017, the year will mark Skoda’s re-entry into the big volumes hatchback segment, a sector it exited last year with the discontinuation of the last-generation Fabia.

The B+ segment, Rapid-based hatchback that Skoda is mulling for India is likely to feature many cost saving bits as the automaker is working to pare down the Rapid platform to meet the stiff pricing challenges thrown up by the Indian car market. A Fabia on a diet and completely revamped looks is what the new car is likely to be. Also, the Fabia nameplate is almost certain to give way for a brand new identity that does away with all the excess baggage that the older hatchback has been associated with.

Via AutocarIndia