Skoda Shows First Photos of New Rapid Sedan

VIENNA – Skoda Auto releases the first official pictures of its new Rapid sedan, which is slated to make its debut at the Paris auto show in late September.

The Rapid, internally codenamed SK251, also was known as the A-Entry or Global Compact Limousine during development.

Based on the MissionL concept unveiled at last year’s Frankfurt auto show, the Rapid is the first series car to fully feature the Volkswagen Group brand’s newly formulated design language.

It will be positioned between Skoda’s Fabia and Octavia models.

“The Skoda Rapid is a roomy, elegant and, at the same time, affordable car for the whole family, impressing with clever solutions, cutting-edge technology and high economy,” Skoda Chairman Winfried Vahland says in a statement.

Skoda expects its seventh model line will target customers in search of a low-budget vehicle with ample passenger room and a large trunk.

“There is a need for a big, inexpensive and robust car,” Vahland told WardsAuto in an earlier interview when asked about the priorities for the new model. “It has to be a car that concentrates on essentials, that provides space for five people (and) that is inexpensive to run but which has an attractive design.”

Volume production of the Rapid will begin next month at Skoda’s main plant in Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic.

The sedan is 176.5 ins. (448 cm) long and 67 ins. (170 cm) wide. It will be available with five gasoline engines and two diesel powerplants. Engine specifics have not been announced.

In addition to the Rapid, the Czech auto maker also will produce a version for SEAT dubbed the Toledo, with a slightly different design for VW’s Spanish brand. Both cars will share an assembly line. It will be the first time that a SEAT-badged car will be produced in Czech Republic.

Plans also call for a second body style for the Rapid.

Russian production of the Rapid is scheduled to be launched next year at the Volkswagen Group Rus plant in Kaluga. It is not clear whether the Toledo will be manufactured in Russia as well.

A version of the Rapid also will be built in China.

The European-made Skoda Rapid is not to be confused with another Skoda Rapid sedan unveiled last fall in India. While both cars wear the same badge, they are technically different.

Rapid is a model name that was used by Skoda from 1934 to 1947 and 1984 to 1990.