Last week Skoda showed us where it’s going with the
reveal of the Vision RS concept at the Paris Auto Show. Now it’s giving us our
first glimpse of how that show car will transition into production. reviewed here is the Czech marque’s
forthcoming new five-door hatchback, set to be revealed before the end of this
year.
Though it didn’t indicate what that new model will
be called, the teaser image is labeled Spaceback, which is the handle it
applies to the pseudo-wagon version of the Rapid. This new model is expected to
replace the current Rapid (typically sold as a four-door sedan) with a more
conventional five-door hatchback body-style, closer to that of the Golf made by
sister-brand Volkswagen.
Rather than adopt the Golf’s platform, the
new Skoda will employ the VW Group’s latest A0 MQB platform. The modular
architecture has seen numerous iterations over the years, and serves as the
basis for the Skoda Fabia. But the automaker indicates that this will be a new
version of the platform that it’ll use here for the first time. Expect it to adopt the design
language previewed by the Vision RS concept as well, ushering in a new styling
direction for the entire marque and the next generation of vehicles to follow.
We’d also expect it to offer a variety of powertrain
options – most of them geared towards economy. But the bigger question on our
mind is whether it’ll lead to an RS model. Skoda has, for the past several
years, reserved the performance treatment for the larger Octavia, and hasn’t
employed on the smaller Fabia for some time now. But it’s now rolling out a new
Kodiaq RS performance crossover, and given the orientation of the Vision RS
concept, we’re holding out hope that the Rapid’s replacement previewed here
will pack a punch all its own.
