News has come that Skoda have phased out the entry-level variant of the Rapid, called the Skoda Rapid Rider. This comes as a surprise to many given the demand it received after its release earlier this year. As of now, the Rapid Rider is not listed on Skoda India’s official website, which is a lead up to the given news.
Launched with an aggressive price tag of Rs.7.49 lakh (ex-showroom, India), the Skoda Rapid Rider remained in good demand throughout its journey here. In fact, Skoda were even forced to halt its bookings in order to meet the pending orders. The car had quite a few features that were essential in its price range.
These include a 2 DIN audio system with USB and AUX IN, power windows, remote locking, climate control and electrically adjustable ORVM’s to name a few. On the safety front, it came equipped with dual airbags, ABS with EBD and reverse parking sensors. Skoda recently introduced another variant of the Rapid, christened the Rapid Rider Plus.
The Skoda Rapid Rider Plus was launched at a price of Rs.7.99 lakh (ex-showroom, India) and had additional features such as a touchscreen infotainment system and new body decals. It received a positive response from customers and remains to be the highest selling variant of the Rapid today. As for now, it will also be its most affordable variant after the discontinuation of the Rapid Rider.
Engine-wise, the Skoda Rapid Rider came powered by a 1.0-litre turbocharged TSI petrol motor. This motor was capable of giving a power output of 110 BHP, which put it amongst the most powerful cars in its price range. It was being offered with a 6-speed manual transmission, with the Rider Plus variant getting a 6-speed automatic in addition to that.
Skoda will be launching the next generation Rapid, which was subjected to a lot of talk, in 2021. It will be under the Volkswagen Group’s ‘India 2.0’ plan and will also be a traditional three-box sedan instead of a notchback like the current one. This would be amongst a host of models coming from both Skoda and Volkswagen and could generate a lot of pre-launch excitement soon.
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Also see: Skoda Rapid TSI AT bookings open, launch next-month
