Skoda Rapid, 2013
Škoda is resolutely pursuing its model offensive, presenting its new compact saloon, the Škoda Rapid, just a few months after the introduction of the Škoda Citigo subcompact. The brand's most recent addition is to play a central role in the company's 2018 growth strategy and will be phased in on European markets from the autumn of 2012.
The Škoda Rapid impresses with lots of room, an expressive design, an excellent price-value ratio, a comprehensive safety offering and efficient engines. "This is a model which sets benchmarks in the compact saloon segment. The Škoda Rapid is a roomy, elegant and at the same time an affordable car for the whole family, impressing with clever solutions, cutting-edge technology and high economy. In short, it is a car permitting mobility in a comfortable, reasonably priced and environmentally friendly package. The right car at the right time," says Škoda CEO Winfried Vahland.
Lots of space and room at an affordable price
The driver and the passengers should have no reason to complain about a lack of room. "In its class, the Rapid is the new benchmark for roominess," says Škoda CEO Vahland. Though exterior dimensions, at (4.48 m in length, 1.71 m in length, 1.46 m in height), may be compact, the car will comfortably seat up to five persons. The Rapid's figures for knee and head room are best in class, as is the boot at 550 litres - truly family-size.
Cleverly done
Škoda's roomy latest offspring is a "simply clever" car through and through, offering no less than 19 of Škoda's typical "simply clever" solutions. Four of them are available for the first time in the Škoda Rapid, including a practical holder for the warning vest underneath the driver's seat. Storage for the ice scraper is ingenious: it simply slides into the inside of the tank filler flap. A refuse bin in the side door keeps the car's inside tidy. Another first for Škoda is a double-sided covering for the boot floor. In addition to these "premieres", the Rapid has a lot of other tried and true clever solutions on board such as a multimedia holder, a ticket holder, various cup holders, nettings on the inner sides of the front seats and an optional netting programme for the car's huge boot.
The Škoda's new design: clear, precise, fresh, timeless and elegant
The Rapid is the first Škoda series car ever to fully feature the brand's newly formulated design language. "This is a car that gives out a clear statement at first glance: clear, precise, fresh and emotional," says Eckhard Scholz, Škoda board member for technical development.
Perfect proportions, clear and cleanly modelled surfaces and sharply drawn lines combine to create an attractive overall appearance. The front end displays a new take on Škoda-typical design elements. The new brand logo confidently stands out on the harmonically rounded front edge of the bonnet. The grille shows a finely drawn chrome frame and is formed by vertical slats. The headlight ensemble is grouped at the front of the Škoda Rapid to form a cloverleaf shape.
The body's side also conveys pure emotion though a long wheelbase and a coupé-like silhouette, but also thanks to a precise and sharp tornado line creating a clear division of light and shadow. At the rear, the car's large tailgate is not merely functional, but also acts as a design element. In addition, distinctly shaped taillights in the brand's typical C shape and the new brand logo all combine to make the Škoda Rapid unmistakable.
A perfect family car
Škoda is aiming the Rapid especially at families. "Families will love the Rapid," says Jürgen Stackmann, Škoda board member for sales and marketing. "Here is a perfect first car at an affordable price in Škoda's familiar quality." Škoda has customers especially in mind who are successful in their professional and private life. At the same time, the Škoda Rapid is a response to changed customer needs. Says Stackmann: "People value mobility, but they may be unwilling or unable to spend too much money on their mobility. The Rapid stands for 'best value for money' and caters to exactly this sort of need."
The Rapid is a perfect complement of the model palette between the Škoda Fabia and the Škoda Octavia, making it at home in the large-volume compact segment. This so-called A segment currently accounts for 36 per cent of the world's automobile market. Within this class, saloons have a share of 42.3 per cent. Industry experts estimate the number of cars of this type sold worldwide will rise by about 50 per cent by the year 2020.
Comprehensive active and passive safety package
The Škoda Rapid is also big on active and passive safety. ABS and ESP systems are standard in EU countries. The car's long wheelbase, a precise chassis and a stiff body structure form the basis for stable handling. Functions such as the tyre pressure monitoring, fog lamps with so-called 'corner function' or the 'hill-hold control' assistant for starting up steep terrain, enhance the car's active safety level. As for passive safety, a comprehensive package will protect the car's occupants in case of a collision. It includes front, side and head airbags, adjustable-height 3-point safety belts with tighteners as well as headrests. The stiff body ensures excellent deformation behaviour of the car in a collision.
Efficient petrol and diesel engines
In Europe, the Škoda Rapid will be available with a total of four petrol and two diesel engines, all of them conforming to EU 5 standards. The petrol entry-level engine is the 1.2 l MPI three-cylinder producing 55 kW (75 hp). The other petrol engines are the 1.2 l 63 kW (86 hp) TSI, the 1.2 l 77 kW (105 hp) TSI and the 1.4 l 90 kW (122 hp) TSI.
The 1.6 litre diesel engine comes with direct common rail injection and a particulate matter filter and is available in two power variants, the basic diesel putting out 66 kW (90 hp) and scheduled for marketing in the second half of 2013. It may be combined with the optional seven-speed DSG (double-clutch transmission). The 1.6 l TDI CR version is more powerful, putting out 77 kW (105 hp).
Clear, Precise, and Elegant
The new Rapid is the first Škoda model to feature the brand's completely revised vehicle design. This design had been hinted in the "VisionD" and "MissionL" Škoda show cars. It now takes to the road for the first time in the Škoda Rapid. Its clear, precise, fresh and timeless design sets more than a creative accent in the compact saloon segment. The team around Škoda designer-in-chief Jozef Kaban have also shown that they definitely know how to marry functionality and an emotional stylistic vocabulary in this vehicle class.
The brand's new design language embodies precision, clear lines and a concept with a maximum of functionality. "The Rapid is an emotional car," says designer-in-chief Jozef Kaban. "Its design is precise and timeless, its modern look fills its elegant, pure shapes with fresh attractiveness. This involves perfect proportions, clearly formed surfaces and sharp lines and radii. The Rapid is an expression of the Škoda's confidence," says Kaban.
At 4.50 m in length, this compact saloon impresses with precise design down to the last detail. Cleanly modelled surfaces and sharply drawn lines effectively bring out the car's perfect proportions. The front end of the Škoda Rapid is a marked example of a reinterpreted Škoda design. A classy grille formed from 19 vertically positioned slats shows a finely drawn chrome frame. Modelled with much love for detail, the grille combines with the car's expressive headlights to form a unified graphic. This conveys optical width to the car's front and is echoed in the unit made from the fog lamps and the air intake in the front bumper. The redesigned Škoda logo is confidently positioned on the harmoniously rounded front edge of the bonnet. The chrome winged arrow clearly and precisely stands out on the matte black ground.
The cloverleaf shape made up by the headlight ensemble also takes its cue from the uniform design vocabulary. Below the headlights, fog lamps almost equal in size flank the lower air intake. The crystalline structure of their transparent covers is marked by sharp lines, a theme reminiscent of the high craftsmanship of Czech glass grinders.
The Škoda Rapid stands confident and solid. Its coupé-like silhouette and its long wheelbase especially underscore the elegance of the vehicle's overall shape. Stretched grooves highlight the car's longitudinal dynamics and harmoniously divide the lateral surfaces. A sharp tornado line creates a clean division of light and shadow. Every single line ends with an expressive conclusion.
The rear end of the Škoda Rapid also conveys the design's precision and freshness. It is as clearly shaped as it is distinctive. The taillights display Škoda's typical C design, yet in a new shape with a soft, crystalline grinding. Between the taillights, three lines in the sheet steel form fine triangles providing the car's rear with a special character element. The gaps between the fenders and the bumpers become an effective design element.
A large tailgate opens all the way to the edge of the rear window, giving access to a wide loading bay. This makes the tailgate as much a functional as a design element. The boot, at a capacity of 550 litres, is best in class among compact saloons. Folding down the rear seat backs will increase the volume to as much as 1,490 litres. Forcefully formed fenders house wheels up to 17 inches in size. The basic version comes with 14-inch rims. As with the exterior, so the Škoda Rapid's rich choice of wheels impresses with a wholly new stylistic vocabulary and a wide variety.
The interior of the Škoda Rapid extends the exterior's clear creative language, beaming with a tidy elegance and impressing with perfect ergonomics and high functionality. Four doors open wide to provide easy access for all occupants. The entire interior is generously laid out to provide space in comfort for five persons. With 65 mm of knee space rear the Škoda Rapid sets benchmark in its class. The cockpit with its horizontal structure exudes spaciousness. Finely drawn chrome elements on the control units in higher trim lines set radiant highlights. The easy-to-grip four-spoke steering wheel sporting the new Škoda logo sits in the driver's focus, as does the finely drawn combination display.
The control unit for the air conditioning, the radio and navigation unit and various controls in the central console have also been positioned with special regard for ergonomics. The newly designed seats impress with their contours and classy cloth covers, guaranteeing a pleasant driving experience. A host of storage compartments in the doors and on the central console provide lots of space, as do the seat pockets.
Škoda's new design language is the result of intensive and long-term oriented work by an internationally staffed designer team. More than 70 specialists are involved in the drafting and designing of Škoda's models to come. The team is divided into five groups, each group being responsible for a specific area: exterior, interior, colours, digital models and technologies and finally clay models. Each new car is thus the result of teamwork in the best sense of the word. The design department is housed in the "Design Villa" on the premises of Škoda's Technical Development. The Design Villa is not just one of the most tradition-rich Škoda buildings, it may also be the best-guarded structure at Škoda's Mladá Boleslav plant.
