• Strong demand for the Rapid Rider forces Skoda to temporarily halt bookings
• Skoda Rapid Rider accounts for 30 percent of total bookings
• New additions to the Rapid line-up including the Rapid AT and Rapid Rider Plus coming soon

At the end of May, Skoda Auto India introduced the BS6-compliant Rapid 1.0 TSI at an extremely competitive price tag. As the entry-level Rapid Rider costs just Rs 7.49 lakh, it not only undercuts all its midsize sedan rivals, it even serves as an alternative to a number of compact sedans.

High demand for the Skoda Rapid Rider

Due to the price tag, and the fact that it’s fairly well-kitted for the price, Skoda has seen demand exceed expectations and has - temporarily - halted bookings for the Rapid Rider. The in-demand Rapid Rider variant accounts for 30 percent of total bookings made, which, as company sources tell us, is quite a bit more than their initial forecast.

New Skoda Rapid 1.0 TSI variants in the pipeline

While potential customers may have to wait a while to book their new Rapid Rider, there are a few things to look forward to concerning the midsize sedan. 

Skoda will introduce a new mid-spec Rapid Rider Plus variant to plug the gap between the Rapid Rider (Rs 7.49 lakh) and the Rapid Ambition (Rs 9.99 lakh) trims. The Skoda Rapid Rider Plus is expected to get more features than the entry-level Rapid Rider - more colour options, alloy wheels and LED DRLs are likely to be on offer.

Sources at the company have also intimated that the much-awaited Rapid automatic will arrive in showrooms by September this year, well in time for the festive season. Like its sibling over at Volkswagen - the Vento - the Rapid’s 110hp, 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine will get a 6-speed torque convertor automatic transmission option. As is the norm with automatics, expect the fuel economy to be lower than the 1.0 TSI manual’s 18.97kpl ARAI figure. As of now, it is not known which of the Rapid variants – Rider, Rider Plus, Ambition, Onyx, Style and Monte Carlo – will get the automatic gearbox. Expect Rapid AT prices to be about Rs 1 lakh more than their respective manual counterparts.

With the addition of an automatic gearbox option and a new variant coming in time for the upcoming festive season, demand for the Skoda Rapid is only expected to rise.

All prices, ex-showroom, pan-India

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