Skoda Rapid News

It is planning to plug all sorts of family-car gaps in the affordable price range using models rolled out of the basic sedan. The most adventurous is the Spaceback, a five-door hatch caught by Carparazzi ahead of its 2013 unveiling.

Australia can be a tough nut to crack, but persistence and an appreciation of the price-conscious buyer is producing some staunch stayers. Skoda has made inroads since it first showed its face in the form of the conservative Octavia and the more radical Roomster at the 2007 Sydney Motor Show.The Volkswagen-owned Czech brand sold 146 cars in its first year but broadened its range, pushed its corporate logo and shared its practicality to win friends. Persistence, price and practicality last year won it 3501 sales.Now Skoda ups the ante. It will show its spacious, neatly sculptured Rapid liftback – and later, a hatchback version – before future launches of the Citigo light city car, a larger SUV and a new midsize sedan and wagon wearing the Octavia nameplate.The Rapid is a pragmatic solution to budget family motoring. The remarkable – and that’s a word not used lightly – Skoda Rapid can seat four 180cm-plus people and their luggage, yet the car is city-friendly compact. It is the sedan – a hatch will follow – that Skoda wants because its fresh styling is crisp and broadly agreeable.That it looks pretty, is perfectly proportioned and almost perennial in its style are qualities that Skoda hasn’t had before. Yet despite its delicate unity of design and engineering, it is in fact one of the Frankenstein’s monsters of the car industry that has been cobbled together from the Volkswagen Polo and Golf parts bin.But the proof isn’t in the assortment and diversity of ingredients, but the pudding that comes from the oven. The dichotomy of Skoda’s latest car – making its public debut in Australia at the motor show – wasn’t lost on me as I drove a Rapid loaded with myself and two 180cm-plus journalists, plus luggage, from Slovakia to Austria.At times, the 77kW 1.2-litre, four cylinder engine cleanly swept the speedometer needle past 160km/h, though my passengers weren’t aware of that speed. The car is quiet, solid and simple to operate. The sum of its parts, conditional to the parts being above-average quality, was proof that the Rapid works so well in Europe it is sure to make a big statement in Australia.The name Rapid implies performance . But this is no neck- snapping thriller. Rather, it’s a clever and practical, family sedan that has a huge liftback tailgate, making it a versatile hauler. It has more room than its sister model, the Octavia – indeed, Skoda claims the biggest in its class – and its boot takes more luggage.Engines start with a 1.2-litre four-cylinder that’s remarkably fuel efficient and responsive. The vehicle in which we crossed two European countries averaged 6.9 litres/100km – yes, with the three adults, the luggage and at speeds from 130km/h to 160km/h. We will also see a 1.6-litre diesel and a 1.4 petrol turbo with manuals or dual-clutch DSG autos. Clever ideas from the factory’s suggestion box include a plastic square for scraping ice off the car and pockets in the side of seats. 

When I was a little bloke, a visit to the old Sydney Showgrounds was always a very special event.

The Rapid is Skoda's first big step in the transformation away from functional - but bland - design. The small car hatch-sedan has crisp lines, spacious cabin and platform and drivetrain components from parent Volkswagen.Skoda intends to launch the Rapid in Europe in August - and here mid-2013 - priced to challenge like-sized family cars including the Mazda3 and Holden Cruze.The Rapid hits the global market a few months after the Czech manufacturer released its Citigo light car - a hatch based on the Volkswagen Up and also due in Australia in 2013 - as part of its model overhaul.A new Octavia is expected in 2014 along with a large SUV. The Rapid, which goes public in September at the Paris motor show, will be driven next month and tested in Europe by Carsguide.The hatch uses components from the Volkswagen family - especially Polo and Golf - but doesn't have the new MQB platform that will feature on this year's Golf VII.It sits in size and price between the Fabia and the Octavia in a segment that Skoda says accounts for about 36 per cent of the world's automobile market.Within this segment, sedans have a share of about 42 per cent but industry analysts estimate mid-size sedan-hatch models will globally rise by about 50 per cent by the year 2020. The expansion will be driven mainly by Asian markets - notably China - that prefers sedan-shaped cars. The Rapid is 4.48m long and will be made with five petrol and two diesel engines. Skoda says it's too early to pick drivetrains - and prices - but expect a 77TSI and 90TSI petrols and a 103TDI diesel. The car will also be morphed into a Seat sedan for Spain. Seat is also in the Volkswagen Group.