Skoda has filed a trademark for the ‘SLAVIA’ badge in the Indian market. The brand has been using the SLAVIA moniker for the 7th Student Concept car that was unveiled at the SKODA Academy a renowned vocational school in Mladá Boleslav. But the roots of the name is far deeper than the Skoda Scala-based concept. In the history of the Czech brand, the name was first used in 1895 by Václav Laurin and Václav Klement who named their first production Bicycle named the ‘SLAVIA’.
But in the Indian market, Skoda could use the Slavia moniker for its next-generation Rapid sedan, which has aged quite well in India. The Rapid still amounts healthy sales number due to its price range which used to start from INR 7.49 lakh ex-showroom for the Rider model but since the discontinuation of the Rider, the prices start from INR 7.99 lakh ex-showroom which still undercuts some sub-compact sedans in the Indian market.
The next-generation Skoda Rapid is expected to be underpinned by the modular MQB A0 IN platform and is also likely to underpin the next-generation Volkswagen Vento which is expected to be introduced before the Skoda sedan. The sedan even in the next-generation is expected to use the same 1.0-litre three-cylinder TSI (Turbocharged Stratified Injection) petrol engine that makes 110 PS of power and 175 Nm of torque and conforms to BS6/Euro5 emission specification. The brand could add a mild-hybrid system to the engine further improving its performance and efficiency but that would also raise its end-user prices.
At present, the brand is preoccupied with the compact-SUV, the Skoda Vision IN which will be launched following the Volkswagen Taigun. Both the compact SUV is built using the same MQB A0 IN platform which has been developed specifically for the Indian market and is heavily localised to keep the cost to the minimum and being modular the platform is shared not only among different sub-brands but also across segments balancing the economies of scale.
