The current Euro-spec Skoda Rapid arrived in June
2012 and was joined by the Skoda Rapid Spaceback in July 2013. Skoda will offer
the next-gen Skoda Rapid exclusively in the hatchback version as per a
report from Auto Express.
The next-gen Skoda Rapid will arrive as the
hatchback alternative to the next-gen Skoda Octavia. The all-new Skoda Rapid,
as depicted in the speculative renderings, will have rather conventional
styling. With the five-door 'Liftback' version about to get discontinued and
the car set to sell exclusively as a five-door hatchback, Skoda would also have
to drop the ‘Spaceback’ station wagon variant.
The redesigned Skoda Rapid, a compact car, will
compete with the likes of VW Golf, Ford Focus, Seat Leon and Honda Civic.
However, it will ride on a small car platform - MQB A0. Currently, this
platform is utilised by the VW Polo, Seat Ibiza, VW Virtus and Seat Arona.
Skoda will offer the next-gen Skoda Rapid with
1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with maximum power output ranging from
84 bhp to 109 bhp, a 1.5-litre petrol engine with a maximum power output of up
to 148 bhp and maybe even a 1.6-litre diesel engine. Skoda could offer a
mild-hybrid system that uses a 48-volt belt starter generator in the petrol
engine models. The next-gen Skoda Rapid, targeted mainly at the European markets,
will arrive sometime in 2019.
