Skoda India has confirmed that it will launch the automatic variant of Rapid TSI on September 17. The confirmation came through its social media handles after announcing that bookings are open for the same car two weeks back.
What makes the launch of an automatic variant of this particular enthusiast-favourite Skoda is the six-speed torque converter automatic transmission. Much like the Vento, the Rapid now gets this torque convertor mated to its TSI engine. The automatic variant of the Rapid TSI will retain the same 999cc three-cylinder heart with – 108bhp and 172Nm, keeping power and torque outputs identical to the manual. Something that is much-talked-about in the automatic variant is the ARAI fuel-efficiency delivered of 16.24kmpl.
Bookings started for the Skoda Rapid TSI AT on August 27 by payment of just Rs 25,000 at authorized dealerships and deliveries are slated to begin from September 18.
Skoda launched the manual versions of the Rapid TSI earlier this year in five variants with a base variant starting from Rs 7.49 lakh that goes up to Rs 11.79 lakh for the Monte Carlo variant. In terms of price, expect the Rapid TSI automatic to be approximately Rs 1.5-2 lakh more than the manual variants. It will rival the likes of the Hyundai Verna, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Volkswagen Vento and the Honda City which have their versions of automatic transmission.