Škoda Octavia RS Launching in India in October

The debut nameplate for the Volkswagen-owned Czech car brand in India will be relaunched in its performance avatar.

Czech carmaker Škoda Auto started its India journey with the launch of the Octavia twenty-five years ago. After selling around 100,000 units here, the model bid goodbye in 2023. Only to return this festive season. Škoda Auto India will relaunch the 4th generation Octavia, but only the RS variant – the fastback’s performance avatar. 

Pre-bookings for the Octavia RS will begin on 6th October, and its price will be announced on 17th October. Only 100 units of the model will be imported as fully built units this year, and deliveries will begin on 6th November, says Ashish Gupta, Brand Director for Škoda in India.

The performance-oriented sedan will be imported under the Indian Government’s GSR (General Statutory Rule) 870. Under this rule, up to 2,500 units of either UK or Japan spec can be imported into the country in a financial. Cars imported under this rule need not undergo the homologation test. The Škoda Octavia RS to be introduced next month will be the UK-spec one, produced in the Czech Republic.

Targeting major growth

Brand Škoda has seen a boost in its sales performance this year, powered mainly by its sub 4-metre SUV Kylaq. The Kylaq, which saw the start of delivery to customers in January this year, has contributed around 65% of brand Škoda’s sales volume of 46,616 units during the first eight months of the current calendar year. 

The Czech brand is poised to see a big margin of growth this year over its annual sales of 35,000 units in India last year. However, the brand will have to expand its customer base more significantly in order to be a major player in the highly competitive and promising Indian passenger vehicle market. 

A key goal for Škoda in its quest to be a bigger player in India is to double its market share this year. The brand had a 0.8% share in the Indian passenger vehicle market at the end of 2024 

With reduced prices this festive season, fueled mainly by the revised GST rates, Škoda is hoping for some major gains. “It’s not only about what volumes we are targeting, but what’s the opportunity that these new GST reforms could offer,” says Gupta

When it comes to selling more cars, the Octavia RS may not be a big contributor in terms of volume, but it could well add some spunk to brand Škoda in the marketplace.