Skoda Octavia facelift spotted testing

The facelifted Skoda Octavia has been spotted undergoing cold weather testing in Europe. This development comes less than two years before the new Skoda Octavia was globally revealed at the Skoda museum in Mladá Boleslav in December 2012. Despite being launched in India just a few months ago, the car is due for an update as it is being sold in European markets since January last year.

The test mule was heavy camouflage and reveals very few details about the new car. The overall structure of the new Octavia will remain identical to the current car, which is a good thing as the present model is one of the best looking D-Segments sedans in the country. The front bumper remains same though fog lamps housing have been altered and the rear bumper has also been redesigned. The interiors are expected to be revised and the car will be fitted with a new infotainment system.

Styled along the lines of Vision D design philosophy, the third generation Octavia replaced the Laura in India, when it was launched in October, last year. Despite being longer and wider than its predecessor, the new car lost around 100kgs of weight. It is one of the well-equipped sedans in the segment with features like a touch-screen display, bluetooth connectivity for music and phones, parking assist, leather interiors as well as LED daytime running lamps.

The Skoda Octavia is locally assembled at the Czech manufacturer’s facility in Aurangabad, which means that the car is priced higher than its competition. We expect the facelifted car to be launched in India a few months after its global unveil, though in order to improve its sales numbers, Skoda will have to consider increasing localization in the car’s production and adopt a better pricing strategy for the car. The Octavia goes up against others sedans like the Toyota Corolla Altis, Hyundai Elantra Chevrolet Cruze and the Renault Fluence. 

Click here to read our Skoda Octavia road test