Skoda to bring back ‘Octavia’ brand name to India!

Czech car maker Skoda may bring back the ‘Octavia’ brand to India next year. The new Octavia will likely replace the current Skoda Laura model sold in the country.

Winfried Vahland, Chairman, Board of Management for Skoda Auto had stated at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo that he likes the name Octavia, it was the best-selling car for Skoda and the model will definitely come back to India.

Back in 2001, Skoda entered the Indian car market with the launch of the Octavia sedan. The Octavia served the company well and helped establish the Czech brand. The Octavia continued to co-exist with the Laura for a while. However, the BS-IV emission norms came into play soon after that. Hence, with effect from April 2010 the BS-III compliant Skoda Octavia was barred from being sold in 13 important cities across India including the metros. The production of Octavia came to a halt in July 2010.

Skoda wants to further capitalize on the ‘Octavia’ brand which had become quite popular in India. Hence, the next generation Laura will get the ‘Octavia’ brand name replacing the present ‘Laura’ brand name. The new Octavia is code named ‘A7’ and is expected to be showcased at the Geneva Motor Show in 2013. The production version will likely be launched by the end of 2013. The upcoming Octavia will be built on the MQB platform of the Volkswagen group which will make it bigger than the outgoing Laura.

The cars built on the MQB platform share engines, the position of the pedal box and front axle. But the platform is flexible enough to allow models to have different wheelbases and a variety of dimensions.

(Source: Autocar India)