Return of Skoda Fabia in India Next Year


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Skoda Fabia to Make A Comeback in India!
After seeing the success of Hyundai's Elite , Skoda India plans for Fabia's comeback as a premium hatch. Fabia could come with all premium features to compete in this segment.
new-skoda-fabia-main-1_625x300_71408448698.jpg
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The new-generation Skoda Fabia has grown bigger in dimensions than the discontinued model and takes its design inspiration from the new Octavia. The car features a 30mm lower roofline and is 90mm wider than the old model. Despite the fact that the car is dimensionally bigger than the old model, the company claims that it will be 17 per cent more fuel efficient than before, thanks to its lighter weight. The new Fabia is about 65kg less in weight
http://auto.ndtv.com/news/skoda-fabia-to-make-a-comeback-in-india-746304
 
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Re: Return of Skoda Fabia - 2016

Excited to see the comeback of Fabia, though its launching next year. This is one of the cars I really love driving, as skoda have the best engineered car.
 
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Re: Return of Skoda Fabia - 2016

Great news that Skoda has realized the potential of this new Fabia and I can certainly see it beating i20 in every way if priced well and Skoda improves its After Sales. This and the Jazz were the Best Premium Hatchbacks in India but both suffered same fatality of High Price. With Jazz confirmed for launch, and with this Fabia coming sometime, I am expecting this segment to have some serious competition.
 
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Re: Return of Skoda Fabia - 2016

Great news that Skoda has realized the potential of this new Fabia and I can certainly see it beating i20 in every way if priced well and Skoda improves its After Sales. This and the Jazz were the Best Premium Hatchbacks in India but both suffered same fatality of High Price. With Jazz confirmed for launch, and with this Fabia coming sometime, I am expecting this segment to have some serious competition.
Fabia is an excellent car and would love to see it back in Indian market. The new design looks dashing as well. Hope the give the 1.5 TDi this time around. When I was considering my car purchase an year back, Fabia was always in my radar. But Fabia's 3 pot diesel + Skoda's questionable A.S.S pushed me away.

To be frank, i20 was never in my list initially. However, Elite i20 is a much better car and it will be very tough for any premium hatchback to dethrone it. After Jazz was showcased in Auto Expo no other car has managed to impress me as much as the Jazz. But with the launch no where near confirmed, i20 and Fabia will be the top premiumm hatchbacks.
 
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Re: Return of Skoda Fabia - 2016

However, Elite i20 is a much better car and it will be very tough for any premium hatchback to dethrone it. After Jazz was showcased in Auto Expo no other car has managed to impress me as much as the Jazz. But with the launch no where near confirmed, i20 and Fabia will be the top premiumm hatchbacks.
i20 is a good car but it isn't as practical as Jazz nor is it Good in Dynamics as Fabia. Apart from Reliability & ASS, I can see no other negatives in the New Fabia. The Jazz is coming in June and I think you have lost patience and I can see you're frustration, but Honda have realized that new Jazz may get more bookings then the City and hence dont want customers to wait for the car. This is the main delay for its launch. Then the Fabia which has now been confirmed for India re-launch would only arrive in Late 2015/ Early 2016.
Although i20 is doing very well, its main USPs are Features, Style. I had lot of expectations from it but it disappointed me a lot in key areas. It's Handling is nowhere close to my current rides (Rapid, Brio). Ride Quality is good but crashes on sharp bumps. Power delivery is abrupt, lacks torque in 2 & 3rd gears. It doesn't feel spacious compared to Jazz & Fabia. Infact, the Polo & i20 almost have same level of cabin space.
These weaknesses will be highlighted by Jazz & Fabia when they get launched and will be giving serious & threatening competition to the Elite i20. That's where this segment will have lots of action. So its a wise move by Skoda to Bring the "Full Baked Fabia" to take on the "Half Baked i20". i20 is no match to the Fabia & Jazz when it comes to Build, Dynamics, Space, Practicality.
 
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Re: Return of Skoda Fabia - 2016

When launched, Fabia will come in the 1.5TDI and TSI variants.
1.2 TSi with Choice of Automatic & Manual Transmission, 1.2 MPi Manual & 1.5 TDi with choice of AT/MT are likely to be offered IMO. Will be calling the dealer tomorrow and will update.
 
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Re: Return of Skoda Fabia - 2016

i20 is a good car but it isn't as practical as Jazz nor is it Good in Dynamics as Fabia. Apart from Reliability & ASS, I can see no other negatives in the New Fabia. The Jazz is coming in June and I think you have lost patience and I can see you're frustration, but Honda have realized that new Jazz may get more bookings then the City and hence dont want customers to wait for the car. This is the main delay for its launch. Then the Fabia which has now been confirmed for India re-launch would only arrive in Late 2015/ Early 2016.
Although i20 is doing very well, its main USPs are Features, Style. I had lot of expectations from it but it disappointed me a lot in key areas. It's Handling is nowhere close to my current rides (Rapid, Brio). Ride Quality is good but crashes on sharp bumps. Power delivery is abrupt, lacks torque in 2 & 3rd gears. It doesn't feel spacious compared to Jazz & Fabia. Infact, the Polo & i20 almost have same level of cabin space.
These weaknesses will be highlighted by Jazz & Fabia when they get launched and will be giving serious & threatening competition to the Elite i20. That's where this segment will have lots of action. So its a wise move by Skoda to Bring the "Full Baked Fabia" to take on the "Half Baked i20". i20 is no match to the Fabia & Jazz when it comes to Build, Dynamics, Space, Practicality.
Hahaha!!! Yes Nishanth, I am bordering frustration now. I wanted to have my new car by Apr / May at least. Now that neither Jazz nor Fabia will be launched by then, I will most probably go for the i20 itself. I am not 100% satisfied with the i20, but what to do? Dynamics may not be the USP of i20, but in the current market i20 seems to be the most desirable car in premium hatchback segment.

When launched, Fabia will come in the 1.5TDI and TSI variants.
Thats great news sir!!! That will be a Polo killer IMO. Similar build quality + Same set of engines + better space + taller stance + newer generation + killer design will be an awesome combination compared to a generation old Polo.
 
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Will be calling the dealer tomorrow and will update.
Guarantee you, the dealer will no nothing on this. Launch is in 2016, dealer will get to known details only a few days prior to launch. This is typical of all dealerships.

Thats great news .....That will be a Polo killer IMO.
Note this will be a premium hatch that will offer lots more features than the Polo and will be placed higher than Polo in pricing. Will compete with Elite and Maruti's upcoming YRA hatchback.
 

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Re: Return of Skoda Fabia - 2016

Buddies,

Really very ugly! With passage of time the design department at Skoda Auto has lost it's flair of designing a hatchback. A small comparison I would like to do here with regards to old and new generation Skoda Fabia:

new-skoda-fabia-1-4-tsi-vrs-reviewed-22587-image5.jpg

If we look at earlier design, the lines appear to be much neater and the curves look well designed. The headlamps are well designed and overall the shape comes out pretty neat. It might have lost out on the sales part due to competition and the brand's image but if this new Fabia is launched it could be a dud on the basis of design. Now, comparing the front profile of this one to the old one, I feel Skoda gave the designing opportunity to the R&D department of VW for this one because it appears clearly that the headlamps look to be inspired from VW Polo. Then the front grill is sliced off which makes the hood line come down so low and ultimately it's ruining the overall appeal of the car.

A small yet significant similarity in the new Fabia and the VW Polo is the rear quarter glass that has also been inspired from Polo. The only noticeable difference is the width of the quarter glass.If we all may refer to the rear lamps of the this test model and compare it to VW Polo, then we can see how much similar do both of them look. Part sharing with VW has become a forte of Skoda ever since the merger.

Hence, I am eager to know what is that exclusive thing that will appeal to the eyes of the future consumer base of this car?

I feel that this Fabia without a vRS will be a looser. Even if the earlier Fabia vRS lost out, who has stopped Skoda from presenting a refined and well designed model once again?

I am not surprised to know that it's engine is carried from the VW hatchbacks seeing the 1.5 L Spec. However, As a ordinary purchaser, if I get a duplicated Polo in the name of Fabia (with regards to engines and to a great extent the looks) then what's the fun of having a "SKODA"? I don't know about the pricing but in this segment if it is accordingly priced even then, will the customers who patronize the Polo will shift their focus to it's sibling?

Second thing, Why the people in Skoda are banking upon a Polo inspired design? They can surely do a better job themselves as we have seen with regards to Laura, Octavia earlier and Superb being the recent one.

# Google pic
Regards

Akash
 
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Re: Return of Skoda Fabia - 2016

Given Skoda's reputation in India it would be interesting to see how Fabia will fare. I believe, if launched, sales might be good for a first few months ( bookings by enthusiasts, fans etc.) however the reputation will soon catch up and monthly sales will go down.

There were some core reasons ( after sales service, price, cost of parts etc.) why the earlier generation Fabia failed in the Indian market. Adding premium features alone would not address these reasons that caused failure in the first place.
 
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Re: Return of Skoda Fabia - 2016

Given Skoda's reputation in India it would be interesting to see how Fabia will fare.
There were some core reasons ( after sales service, price, cost of parts etc.) why the earlier generation Fabia failed in the Indian market.
Yes, agree that Skoda's Reputation is not good in India but that's on the service part. Skoda has some well engineered cars which are competent. The Fabia has always been a very good car in abroad along with Jazz but they failed in India. Take Swift & i20 for example which are massive hit but worldwide they are big flops. Why like this, its just because we Indians dont look at what the car is overall( where Fabia & Jazz score). That the Fabia always had everything that the segment above it had, the pricing was premium and its like comparing an iPhone with the phones that are cheaper but offer same kind of specs, features as the iPhone.
Skoda's cars are not that expensive, the Rapid and Superb are well priced compared to rivals, expect the New Fabia to cost roughly same as current i20/ Polo. Regarding cost of spares & service you can check the price in the official website. I have Rapid which is 2 years old and i must say that I haven't faced any issues with it. I expect Skoda to improve its reputation in coming years.
 
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Re: Return of Skoda Fabia - 2016

Take Swift ...for example which are massive hit but worldwide they are big flops.
Swift is not a flop worldwide. It is one of Suzuki's best selling cars abroad,
Google and check for yourself!
 
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Skoda to bring the Fabia to India in 2018 - to play in the premium hatchback space taking on Jazz, Elite and Maruti's upcoming YRA.

Skoda could use the same engines currently plonked in the Polo; which are the 1.2L TSI & MPI petrols and the 1.5L TDI diesel.

The new Fabia is based on the PQ25 platform which also underpins the Rapid. This should help is some part sharing, and cost benefits.
Skoda planning next-gen Fabia for 2018, too late? | Shifting-Gears
 
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Its will be definitely too late for Skoda. Until they launch new Fabia till that time Elite, Jazz, YRA and others in same segment will go under facelift.
 

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