‘Limited-edition Octavia to mark Skoda’s 25 years in India’, says Ashish Gupta – Industry News

Octavia, the brand which recorded a sales volume of 100,000 units and brought fame to Skoda in India before it was buried in 2023, is silently making a comeback in the next few weeks. Ashish Gupta, brand director, Skoda Auto India, shares plans of the relaunch and more with Swaraj Baggonkar. Excerpts:

Why is Octavia being brought back?

Skoda is celebrating its 130 years worldwide while it is celebrating 25 years in India. Skoda’s legacy has been defined by the car with which we started our journey and that is the Octavia. To celebrate, we are going to launch the Octavia RS.

Will this car be made in India?

The car is being brought to India as a fully built unit. It is a UK-spec car but made in the Czech Republic and imported to India. We plan to get 100 units of them. These cars will be brought through the GSR 870 rule which mandates UK or Japan specification.

When do bookings begin?

Pre-booking of the car starts on October 6 and its pricing will be announced on October 17. Deliveries will commence on November 6. It is a car that is targeted at the enthusiasts who are looking for raw power and performance.

How do you plan to market them as it will be in limited numbers?

Our plan is to have an exclusive online sale. Customers will be invited to book the car online and we will also have a reservation list since we have a limited number of units of it.

Previously, Octavia was made locally. Why are you importing these units?

I would also love to get the car in volumes and be locally made in India but the current cost of these cars, getting both volumes and a business case for us and the customers, is a very tough nut to crack. We are always evaluating whether it makes for a business case to bring it through the ‘parts and components’ route.

Is there a plan to build on the ‘RS’ branding?

The plan to bring the Octavia RS is not just about the Octavia but also about establishing the RS badge in India. The logical conclusion is to look at more RS versions of other models. So, getting the RS version of the Kodiaq is definitely something I am considering very actively.

How has the demand been in the Navratri period so far?

Sometimes the euphoria outshines reality. The euphoria is that bookings have doubled in the last 2 days compared to the week before. Deliveries have also more than doubled. But the reality is that the three weeks preceding were a sham with no sales happening between September 1 and September 20.

What is the retail reach of Skoda in India?

We are present with more than 310 touch points and in more than 177 cities. We have decided to go deeper into the tier 2 and tier 3 cities. Around 90% of our new geographic expansion has been in these cities. We are looking to have 350 touch points and 280 showrooms. 

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