Earlier in July 2020, Skoda had temporarily halted bookings for the base Rapid Rider in India, and then eventually delisted the sedan from their official website as well. Now Skoda has reintroduced the Rapid Rider variant in India for a price of INR 7.79 lakh, ex-showroom. The base Rider variant of the Rapid had been temporarily discontinued due to stronger than anticipated demand. Zac Hollis, brand Director, Skoda Auto India, had tweeted in September last year that the Rider variant was virtually sold out for 2020.
The new Skoda Rapid Rider is INR 30,000
more expensive than when it was first launched. There is however no change in
the equipment list, both on the inside and outside. This base variant still
comes decently well loaded with most features you'd need in a car. Under the
hood, the Rapid Rider continues to draw power from a 1.0L TSI turbo-petrol
engine that produces 110hp and 175Nm of peak torque. The base Rider variant
only comes with a 6-speed manual gearbox.
As for the features list, here are some of
the key features the Rapid Rider comes equipped with a 2-DIN audio system with
USB, auto climate control, rear air-con vents, all four power windows, aux and
Bluetooth connectivity, power-adjustable wing mirrors, centre armrests for the
front and back, remote central locking, rear defogger, adjustable headrests at
the front and rear, rake and reach adjust for the steering wheel, and
full-wheel covers. Safety features as standard include dual airbags, ABS and
rear parking sensors.
As before, the Rapid Rider is still the
most affordable variant of any mid-size sedan you can currently buy in the
country. The next most affordable car
you can buy in this segment is the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz in its Sigma trim (INR
8.32 lakh), which is INR 53,000 more expensive. Even the base-spec Volkswagen
Vento is over INR 1 lakh more expensive (INR 9.09 lakh) than the Rapid Rider.
As for other sedans in this class, the Hyundai Verna starts from INR 9.03 lakh;
the 4th-Gen Honda City starts from INR 9.30 lakh; and the Toyota Yaris starts
from INR 9.16 lakh.