Very few had heard of a Czech brand named Skoda back in the early days, and yet when it came, it took the Indian market by storm with the Octavia. The Skoda Octavia has ever since become a cult classic in the automotive industry, having become the go-to choice for premium car buyers and tuners alike. Today, Skoda is celebrating 1 lakh sales of the Octavia, and the car maker has sold over 7.5 million units of the car globally.
The Octavia was officially launched in 2001 with a 1.9-litre turbo-diesel powertrain and a 2-litre petrol powertrain. However, the Czech carmaker stepped things up a notch when it introduced the 1.8-litre vRS in the market. The Octy went on to be so successful that it was sold alongside the Gen 2 model for a few years, better known as the Laura. After the Laura was discontinued, the Octy then made a comeback in in its third generation, and its facelifted models were offered with the vRS 230 and vRS 245 guises as well. Such is the popularity of the Octavia and Laura, you must have seen many examples pop-up in the Tuned section of our magazine, which you can order by clicking here.
Commenting on the landmark, Zac Hollis, Brand Director, Skoda Auto India said, “The Octavia is synonymous with Skoda Auto since our entry into India. It introduced Indian consumers to a value luxury package of design, technology, comfort, versatility and driving dynamics and created its own segment when launched in 2001. It has since become the largest selling CKD of all time in India, recently crossing the 1 lakh sales mark. A big thank you to our family of fans and customers whose continued love and support to the Octavia for over two decades has made this accomplishment possible.”
What made the Octavia so special back in the day, is that it set the benchmark in terms of build quality, fit and finish, ride and handling, equipment and features on offer, and let’s not forget about its trademark notchback. The cherry on top, though, had to be the TDI powertrain which aided the car’s driveability and was immensely tractable — a huge factor considering how diesel-crazy we used to be a few years ago, and all that used to come at a reasonable price tag! Today, things have changed, and the Octavia can now be had in only a petrol guise, but it still manages to put a smile on our face, combining enthusiasm and premiumness, and most importantly offering a standout option in an ocean of SUVs.
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