Volkswagen Group in the last year announced the ‘India 2.0’ Project spearheaded by Skoda Auto, under which the brand plans to invest EUR 1 Billion in India and bring new models such as the Skoda Vision IN and the next-generation Rapid sedan. Now, according to a media report, the Director of Skoda India, Zac Hollis has already seen the upcoming mid-size sedan under development and says it is “Absolutely Fantastic”.
Skoda Auto at the Volkswagen India’s media night during the 15th edition of the Auto Expo 2020 unveiled the Vision IN concept car based on the brand’s MQB-AO-IN platform which is the localised variant of the MQB ‘Modularer Querbaukasten’ (Modular Transverse Matrix) platform. The Vision IN will be the brand’s first car to come to India under the ‘India 2.0’ project and now the Skoda Auto has also confirmed that the second car to be introduced will be a mid-size sedan, likely to succeed the Skoda Rapid and rival the Honda City, Hyundai Verna and the likes.
The future Skoda sedan is internally known as ‘ANB’ and it is still not confirmed if the car will replace the popular Skoda Rapid in the Indian market or be sold alongside the sedan car with the Mark1 Rapid as the more affordable alternative.
The Skoda ANB is speculated to come powered by a 1.0-litre three-cylinder TSI (Turbocharged Stratified Injection) motor similar to the Mark1 Rapid that produces 110 PS of power and 175 Nm of torque on the Rapid but the ANB could come with a higher state of tune. The brand is also likely to offer the ANB with a 1.5-litre TSI petrol engine that produces 150PS of power and 250Nm of torque on the Vision IN concept but detuned to 130PS and 200Nm.
The upcoming Vision IN based production SUV and the ‘ANB’ mid-size sedan based on the same MQB-AO-IN platform will be introduced in the Q2 of 2021. The Skoda ANB is expected to be priced starting at the INR 10 lakh mark and is likely to feature LED lighting, digital instrumentation, touchscreen infotainment, connected features, 360-degree camera, sunroof, multiple airbags and other safety features.
In addition to the Internal Combustion Engine vehicles, Skoda is also speculated to bring a heavily localised electric-powered car for the mass market launched at a relatively affordable price.
