Highlights by Skoda at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo

It was a decent show presented by Skoda at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo. They displayed the present India line-up including the Fabia, Rapid, Laura, Superb and the Yeti. While it is expected that a large chunk of the crowd at Skoda will be drawn towards its newest stable mate the Rapid, the Fabia Scout which is expected to hit Skoda showrooms across the nation was quite a crowd puller. The Skoda Fabia Scout is in essence a Skoda Fabia with raised suspension and plastic cladding all around. .

The aim of Fabia Scout is to capture the semi-urban population which wants a premium hatchback. The car with its improved ground clearance will be capable of dealing with Indian countryside roads. The Fabia Scout will remain a front wheel drive car without the option of a four-wheel drive variant. The Fabia Scout will also use the same engine options from the Fabia which includes the 1.2 petrol and diesel engines and the 1.6 litre petrol motor. 

Yeti with body colored bumpers and black roof was also displayed by Skoda, the Fabia Monte Carlo edition and a Laura vRS both of which whipped up considerable appeal. The Laura in TSI guise was already a brilliant car and now in vRS trim it’s even better than brilliant.  The Laura vRS now comes with a sportier front bumper with an integrated lip spoiler which comes with fog lights of a different design as well. The twin spoke alloys are also there which look absolutely fantastic. Then there is the boot spoiler should be present in a car with any sort of sporty intentions. The exhaust tips too are now polished twin pipes and definitely look the part. The 1.8 TSI unit was an exceptional engine, now in the vRS avatar the car finally has the show to match the go.

The Fabia Monte Carlo Edition celebrates 110 years of Skoda's motorsport program boasts a sporty red and black paint scheme. While the body is painted bright red, everything else has been blacked out, from the roof to the 17-inch alloy wheels, including the mirror housings, grille and smoked headlamps. Inside the Fabia Monte Carlo, customers can choose between all black or, red and black sports seats which boast additional side support. Both versions come with black roof lining, a perforated leather steering wheel with red stitching, leather handbrake and gearstick gaiter with red stitching (with the red-black interior option). To complete the enhanced sporty appeal silver kick plates and steel pedals are fitted as standard.

At the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo Skoda also showcased its RS2000 concept. The Skoda Fabia RS2000 concept is a roadster version of the Fabia rally car.  Starting off with the existing Fabia RS, Skoda’s designers added a wide body kit with 18-inch wheels to give it a stance like its S2000 rally counterpart and then promptly lopped off the roof. The end result is a four-door roadster with four individual racing seats and harnesses, carbon fibre trim and a 2.0-litre twin turbocharged four-cylinder engine making over 200hp.