The Skoda Rapid sedan received a mid-life update with a 1.0L TSI engine earlier this year, followed by an automatic gearbox in September 2020. Similar to its predecessor, the model lineup comes in five trims – Rider, Ambition, Onyx, Style and Monte Carlo. Now, the company has removed the entry-level Skoda Rapid Rider variant from its official website.
Priced at Rs 7.49 lakh (ex-showroom), the entry-level Rapid Rider variant was the most affordable vehicle in its segment. The model accounted 30 percent of total bookings made for the sedan. In fact, its competitive pricing made it a good alternative to several compact sedans. Just so know, the carmaker halted its booking, and introduced the Rider Plus variant in July 2020.
Now, the Rapid Rider Plus with manual gearbox is the base variant priced at Rs 7.99 lakh (ex-showroom). It comes with a 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system supporting Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and MirrorLink. Compared to the Rider, the Rider Plus offers more colour schemes including Toffee Brown, Brilliant Silver, Candy White and Carbon Steel.
The Skoda Rapid Rider Plus also gets additional chrome garnishing around the boot lid and the window-line. Some of its other highlights include dual front airbags, rear parking sensors, rear centre armrest, rear AC vent, remote locking, tilt and telescopic adjust steering and automatic climate control.
Under the hood, the Rider Plus features a new 1.0L TSI turbocharged petrol engine paired to a 6-speed manual gearbox. The motor has been tuned for producing power worth 110bhp and 175Nm of torque. The carmaker claims that the sedan returns ARAI-certified fuel economy of 16.24kmpl with automatic and 18.97kmpl with manual gearbox.
In other updates, Skoda Auto is planning to launch the Vision IN concept based mid-size SUV to challenge the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos. The model’s official name will be announced in January, followed by its debut in March and launch in mid 2021.
