SKODA’S NEW ‘GOLF’
New Rapid ups the quality to take on big brother
Five-door aims to move upmarket with interior revamp Petrol power, with diesel possible and mild hybrid likely
SKODA is planning to shake up its family car line-up in 2019 by offering an all-new version of its Rapid Spaceback as an alternative to the Octavia and also the likes of the Vauxhall Astra and Ford Focus, Auto Express has learned.
The existing Rapid has suffered poor sales outside of Skoda’s home market in the Czech Republic. Equally, while the Octavia has been a success, the car’s extra length over conventional family hatchbacks has put off some buyers.
Now we can reveal that the brand is switching to a two-pronged attack on the likes of the Astra, Focus and VW Golf – and that central to this is the realignment of the Rapid Spaceback, away from a value-orientated proposition with cheaper materials and towards a more conventional family hatchback.
Conventional
The next Rapid will lose the ‘fastback’ car. Only the Spaceback will survive; and even then, Skoda is likely to make its styling more conventional, previewed in our exclusive images, perhaps losing the current car’s distinctive glass tailgate. It may also drop the Spaceback title.
The current edition sits on a modified version of the VW Group’s PQ26 platform, but its successor will use the MQB A0 set-up designed for smaller cars, such as the new SEAT Ibiza and VW T-roc, plus the next generation of Skoda’s own Fabia.
Crucially, though, Skoda has secsecured the right to use a longer version of MQB A0 than anything else within thehe VW Group, and this will support twowo new cars: the next Rapid, and the crossover previewed by the Vision X conceptept (opposite) displayed at the recentnt Geneva Motor Show. That car is said to be a close preview of the productionn model, which could be called Amiq or Anuq.
As such, the Vision X’s wheelbaseelbase is deeply significant, because at 2,645mm, it’s 25mm longer than the currentent Golf’s. Assuming the next Rapid sharesres these dimensions, it should have enough cabin space to be a proper familymily car, and hefty improvements in interior quality should transformorm it into a genuine sister vehicle for the Octavia, instead of feelingg like a stablemate to the Fabia..
The engine line-up for the next Rapid will comprise the VW Group’s latest petrol motors, includingg a 1.0-litre three-cylinder unit with everything from 84bhp to 109bhp,9bhp, and a 1.5-litre motor with up to 148bhp.
A 1.6-litre diesel is likely to feature in the line-up, too, plus it’s conceivable that the car could be offered with a mild-hybrid petrol-electric set-up that uses a 48V-powered belt-driven starter-generator to lower CO2 emissions.
Alain Favey, Skoda’s global sales and marketing boss, confirmed at Geneva that the marque is taking a different approach with the next Rapid. “Despite what is happening with SUVS, family hatchbacks are a sector that is very important; still the heartland of the European market, I would say,” he said.
“Right now our position in this market is extremely weak, it has to be said, because of the current Rapid Spaceback. So you will see next year that we will launch a new Rapid into this segment.
“It will sit alongside the crossover previewed by Vision X, but we’re really working hard on ensuring that it appeals to a different type of customer. We think we should be able to get some more traction into this ‘Golf’ segment.”
He added: “There is a gap – right between Fabia and Octavia – that we have been trying to fill with Spaceback, and it hasn’t been doing very well. We really think with the car coming next year that we can do this better.
“The Octavia has a saloon profile, at least, and it should remain that way, but that leaves space for an obvious family hatchback, above the Fabia but below the Octavia. That’s what we are working on.”
The new Rapid will also allow Skoda to nudge the Octavia slightly further upmarket. It’s believed that CEO Bernard Maier is taking a personal interest in the next generation of the car, due in 2020, and that it will get a more sophisticated cabin and introduce a few new technologies to the Skoda brand.