After
several false starts and five long years, Skoda is finally here. And
it means business. When the Octavia was launched on November 16 last
year with a sticker price a touch over Rs 11 lakh, the Czech company
set a new value-for-money benchmark in its class. It is banking on the
fact that Indians just love a good deal and the Octavia's entry will
be a litmus test of both the price-sensitive nature of the market as
well as just how brand savvy the Indian customer is. In another unprecedented
move, Skoda has gone and priced both petrol and diesel models identically.
This strategy has created ripples amongst rival companies that typically
price the diesel variant unduly higher than the petrol one to take advantage
of the unique price differential in India between the two fuels. The
Octavia has already proved to be highly capable in Petrol
form when we tested it a few months ago (August
2001 issue), so we expected great things when it came with a world-renowned
diesel under the hood. Throw in a price-tag more in line with cars a
whole segment lower and the Octavia seems a winner even before it's
turned a wheel.
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January 2002