After the release of the new Skoda Kodiaq on January 10th, 2022, the Slavia sedan will be Skoda’s second India-focused product as part of its India 2.0 presence strategy. Skoda however believes that Indian customers may respond well to a good sedan. Bookings for the Slavia has already started for a token fee of ₹11,000. Test drives will begin in March for interested customers.
It should be noted that Skoda had first made its way into the Indian market with sedans and established itself as an affordable luxury brand. Models like Octavia, Laura, and Rapid have helped it connect well with Indian sedan enthusiasts. Skoda is now planning to recreate the same magic, but on a much larger scale and the Slavia is the product it is aiming for.
Skoda has been testing the Slavia for almost 2 years on Indian roads and at the end of 2021, they officially presented the product. Now, production-ready Slavia units have started hitting dealerships, indicating that the launch is imminent.
Skoda Slavia sedan highlights
The Skoda Slavia was built on the MQB AO IN platform and features high localization levels of around 95%. In terms of dimensions, the sedan is 4,541mm long, 1,487mm high, 1,752mm wide, and has a wheelbase of 2,651mm.
The Skoda will launch the Slavia in 3 trim options, namely Active, Ambition and Style. The top of the Style trim line will receive a long list of creature comfort features that would include a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment unit, power sunroof. It will also have a touchscreen automatic climate control, 8-inch digital instrument panel, and much more. Safety-wise, the sedan will pack features like ABS, EBD, multi-collision braking system, rear parking camera, and 6 airbags.
Under the hood, the Slavia will have 2 engine options and several gearbox combinations. This includes a 1-litre TSI engine which will be capable of delivering 108PS and 175 Nm of peak torque. It will have a 6-speed manual transmission and a 6-speed automatic transmission.
The top-of-the-line Style trim will also get a 1.5-litre TSI unit. This is capable of producing 148 PS and 250 Nm of torque. This larger engine will be available with 2 shift options, a 6-speed MT and a 7-speed DSG automatic transmission. The 1.5-litre engine will make Slavia the most powerful sedan in its class.
Competition
Competition for the Slavia will include the current segment champion, the Honda City (4th and 5th generation models). And other models like Hyundai Verna, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, and the current generation VW Vento. Moreover, given the price range, Slavia will also face competition from the compact SUVs that have been ravaging the midsize sedan segment for the past few years.
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