If you had your heart set on a Skoda Octavia RS 245, there’s some bad news. All 200 units of the RS 245 for India have been spoken for and Skoda has closed order books for the car. However, all is not lost for buyers keen on getting one. With a few orders having been withdrawn since the original allocation, a few units are still available with select dealers across the country.
The limited-run Skoda Octavia RS 245 has turned out to be quite the coveted buy. And that’s despite being a full Rs 10 lakh dearer than the Octavia RS from 2017. Brought into India as a completely built-unit - hence subject to full duties - the Octavia RS 245 was priced at Rs 35.99 lakh (ex-showroom). Bookings for the Octavia RS 245 had opened on March 1, 2020 exclusively via Skoda’s India website.
During a #LiveWithAutocar session on Instagram, Zac Hollis, Director – Sales, Service and Marketing at Skoda Auto India said response to the car had been “fantastic” and confirmed that deliveries will begin after the current lockdown ends. “I am really looking forward to delivering the car, and I am hoping that when this whole lockdown finishes I can even hand over some of the cars to the customers myself,” he said.
The Octavia RS 245 serves as the swansong for the outgoing gen Octavia in India. And what a swansong it is. The highlight is the engine - a 2.0-litre TSI turbo-petrol engine that puts out 245hp and 370Nm of torque. It’s paired to a 7-speed DSG automatic gearbox that propels it to 100kph from a standstill in a claimed time of 6.6sec. The top-speed has been limited to 250kph.
Apart from the engine, the Octavia RS also gets an updated suspension setup along with 18-inch alloy wheels and a new body kit to differentiate it from the now-discontinued regular model. Being a Euro-spec model, it also rides 15mm lower than the standard Octavia that was on sale in India. On the inside, it features Alcantara sports seats, a flat-bottom steering wheel, Skoda’s Virtual Cockpit system and nine airbags.
Skoda recently revealed the fourth-generation Octavia RS, which now features a plug-in hybrid powertrain with a 1.4-litre TSI turbo-petrol engine that, along with a 116hp electric motor, makes a combined system output of 245hp and 400Nm of torque. However, there’s still no word as of now if this latest version of Octavia will make it to India or not.
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