Skoda will soon be expanding the Rapid lineup in India with a new CNG variant. This information was recently confirmed by Zac Hollis, Skoda's Director for Sales and Marketing, while replying to a Twitter user's query. With skyrocketing fuel prices in the country, this should come across as a welcome relief to many. The Skoda Rapid CNG is currently in its testing phase, more details of which will be announced closer to the launch.
With the Rapid CNG, Skoda will become only
the third carmaker in India to offer a CNG variant of a vehicle right from the
factory. The other two manufacturers are Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai. CNG cars
make a lot of sense for daily commuting within the city limits and are a lot
easier on your pockets than even your regular diesel cars. Thus, adding a CNG
variant to its volume-oriented model, like the Rapid, comes across as a smart
move for the company.
Under the hood, the Rapid CNG will likely
be powered by the same 1.0L TSI three-cylinder turbocharged engine as the regular
petrol variant. The petrol versions of the Rapid produces 108 bhp of maximum
power and 175 Nm of peak torque. As with most CNG conversions, the Rapid CNG is
likely to produce slightly reduced outputs. Transmission options could include
both the 6-speed manual and the 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. It
also remains to be seen in which trims of sedan Skoda will offer the CNG
powertrain.
In one of his tweets, Zac Hollis also
confirmed that the company will be launching four new vehicles in India in the
next 12 months, starting with the Skoda Kushaq. It is, however, not confirmed
if the Rapid CNG will be part of the four new launches or not. It could
definitely be a possibility though. As for the other Skoda models that's set to
launch in India this year, one of them will be the next-gen Octavia. Even the
performance focused Octavia RS could be on the cards for India.
