Skoda Octavia to make comeback in Indian market as fully-built unit

New Delhi: Skoda Auto India is all set to re-launch its premium sedan Octavia in a sportier version in the country, a senior company executive said on Thursday.

The Czech automaker is set to introduce Octavia RS as a fully-built unit (FBU), in limited volumes, with bookings commencing next month and deliveries expected in November.

Octavia was the company's first model in India. The company later discontinued it in 2023.

Skoda Auto India Brand Director Ashish Gupta said, "25 years of Skoda's legacy in India has been defined by one car with which we started our journey in India, and that's the Octavia."

And so what better way to celebrate the unique 25-year legacy in India of the Octavia but with the pinnacle of Skoda's engineering, and that is the Octavia RS, he added.

The pre-bookings for the model start on October 6, and only 100 units would be imported for this year, Gupta said.

"Currently, we are not in discussion for local assembly or parts and components operation," he said.

The automaker is importing the model into India under the GSR 870 rule, Gupta said.

"Under the GSR 870 rule, basically, you need to have a UK or a Japan specification. So our cars are UK spec, but made in the Czech Republic," he added.

Elaborating on the sales performance of the company so far in the current fiscal, he noted that as of August, the automaker has sold 46,600 cars.

"Last year, we were at around 35,000 cars. So this is a big jump for the brand in terms of sales volume, and the biggest months that are September to December have just started," he added.

The company aims to double its market share in the country, he noted.

The automaker had a market share of less than 1 per cent in the domestic passenger vehicle segment at the end of last year.