After unveiling the all-new Octavia late in 2019, Skoda has now shown off sketches of it’s angrier sibling, dubbed the Octavia RS iV. Why iV? Because this will get the first plug-in hybrid of any Skoda RS model. But if you were thinking the Octy RS has gone all soft and eco-friendly, you’d be wrong. Very wrong.
The Octavia RS iV will make 241bhp, the same as the outgoing Octavia RS 245. The new Octavia will be markedly more efficient than the outgoing one while emitting less harmful gases out the bum, meaning the Octavia RS iV will keep you and the Greenpeace folks smiling equally. The sketches show off the RS’ beefy body kit, slightly exaggerated in the drawings but it will definitely feature a more muscular outlook as compared to the standard Octavia. The Octavia RS iV is an interesting step forward for the company, moving toward electrification. A lot of companies are looking at electric technology to enhance performance and efficiency at the same time and the Octavia is a perfect example of this. Electric motors will aid in filling in torque where the conventional turbo engine lags, and should make the RS iV even more potent than ever before. However, whether the motors will drive the front or rear wheels is yet to be seen.
The new Octavia should come to India by the end of this year and the RS should follow soon after, it will be interesting to see how the company applies the plug-in hybrid tech in India.