Skoda has removed the Laura sedan from its official India website and we believe that this means the Czech automaker has stopped sales of the D-Segment sedan for the Indian market. The Laura (known as the second generation Octavia globally) has been replaced by the all-new third-generation Octavia which was launched in the Indian market on October 3 for Rs 13.95 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
The Laura has been on sale in India since 2005 when it replaced the first-generation Octavia and has undergone a major facelift in 2009. Signs that the Laura was on its way out began to show when the company removed its official brochure in August and it seems that they were waiting to finish existing stocks of the sedan and then close the door on its Indian chapter.
The only other country to still sell the second generation Octavia/Laura is China and since the new Octavia has already been spotted testing there (with a lot of camouflage) we expect that China will get the new car next year. The all-new Skoda Octavia has already been a major success for the automaker garnering over 1,000 bookings within just three weeks of being launched in India. It is expected to revive interest in the D-segment sedans which have taken a beating off late due to the demand for similarly priced SUVs.
