Skoda Octavia RS 245 Launch Confirmed With Limited Sales Of 200 Units Only In India

Skoda has confirmed the return of the Octavia RS to the Indian market. The premium car manufacturer put up a video in which a top Skoda official confirmed the arrival of the more powerful Octavia RS 245 variant in India.

Skoda Octavia RS 245 Launch Confirmed With Limited Sales Of 200 Units Only In India

The performance sedan's launch is one of the most-awaited by enthusiasts in the country. The Skoda Octavia is an icon, and almost a legend, especially when it comes to performance motoring.

Skoda Octavia RS 245 Launch Confirmed With Limited Sales Of 200 Units Only In India

It was introduced in India back in 2002 and took the market by storm thanks to its build quality and classy design. However, it gained the status of an icon only when the vRS variant was launched a few years later.

Skoda Octavia RS 245 Launch Confirmed With Limited Sales Of 200 Units Only In India

The old vRS in India came with 1 turbo-petrol 1.8-litre, 4-cylinder engine. It was something no manufacturer had done in India before in this price bracket and it soon became the enthusiasts' favourite. Ever since then, the eyes and ears of petrolheads have been glued to any news regarding a new Skoda vRS model.

Skoda Octavia RS 245 Launch Confirmed With Limited Sales Of 200 Units Only In India

Skoda then launched the Laura vRS, which also offered brilliant performance but it wasn't as big a hit as the Octavia was. Several years later, in 2017, Skoda launched the Third-gen Octavia with a vRS badge.

Skoda Octavia RS 245 Launch Confirmed With Limited Sales Of 200 Units Only In India

It was called the Octavia RS 230, where 230 stands for the amount of power it produced. All 300 units of the car were sold in no time and this response overwhelmed Skoda. The company then opened bookings for 200 more cars and those too were lapped up pretty quickly by the growing petrolhead community in India. After selling 500 units of the RS 230, sales were closed.

Thankfully though, that was not the end. For a while now, there have been rumours up and about regarding the re-entry of the Octavia RS in India. Well, Skoda has now put the rumours to rest and confirmed the launch. However, there was a little surprise in store for us.

Skoda Octavia RS 245 Launch Confirmed With Limited Sales Of 200 Units Only In India

Skoda will not be re-launching the RS 230 but will launch the RS 245, which is in essence, a more powerful version of the same car. The Skoda Octavia RS 245 is powered by the same engine 2.0-litre, turbocharged petrol engine as the RS 230.

Skoda Octavia RS 245 Launch Confirmed With Limited Sales Of 200 Units Only In India

However, it now produces 15ps more, bringing the power figure up to 245ps as the ‘RS 245' moniker suggests. It produces 370Nm of torque, which is 20Nm more than the RS 230, but there is no mention of this in the car's name.

Skoda Octavia RS 245 Launch Confirmed With Limited Sales Of 200 Units Only In India

The engine in question is adored by enthusiasts for its power delivery and high-revving nature. The max power output for example comes in between 5,000-6,700RPM. The front wheels are driven either by a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed DSG transmission. We expect it to come with the 7-speed DSG as standard.

Skoda Octavia RS 245 Launch Confirmed With Limited Sales Of 200 Units Only In India

Other than this, there is one other major change that is expected to improve its handling by a large margin. It is 30mm wider at the rear axle, thereby giving it more stability while being pushed around corners.

Skoda Octavia RS 245 Launch Confirmed With Limited Sales Of 200 Units Only In India

Performance is expected to be stellar with 0-100km/h done and dusted in 6.6 seconds! Top speed stands limited to 250km/h. There are a few other changes to the interiors, including a new touchscreen infotainment system.

Skoda Octavia RS 245 Launch Confirmed With Limited Sales Of 200 Units Only In India

Thoughts On Skoda Confirming Octavia RS 245 Launch In India

The Octavia RS is an exclusive performance saloon that is fast and yet practical. Well, Skoda would like it to remain exclusive and therefore will be selling only 200 units of the RS 245 in India.

Yet another point worth noting is the fact the RS 230 was assembled locally while the RS 245 will be imported as a completely built unit. This is expected to push up the price quite significantly.

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Read more on: #skoda
Article Published On: Thursday, January 30, 2020, 17:24 [IST]
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