2017 Skoda Octavia facelift bookings open in India

Earlier this year, Skoda launched the Onyx edition of the Octavia. The premium sedan, which was launched in India in 2013, is all set to get a major facelift this year. Skoda dealers across the country have already started accepting bookings for the Octavia facelift for a token amount of Rs 1 lakh. While the launch is expected to happen in the first week of June, we expect deliveries to start in the last week of June.

Skoda unveiled the new design of the Octavia facelift last year while production started early this year at the company's Mladá Boleslav manufacturing facility. Skoda has sold over 5 million units of the Octavia in 20 years and remains the brand's bestselling sedan in the international markets. In addition to the Czech Republic facility, the Octavia is also manufactured in India, Russia, China, Ukraine and Algeria.

In its facelifted avatar, the Skoda Octavia features split-styled headlights wherein the top-end variants get full LEDs. The front profile does look different compared to what we have seen so far, but in terms of overall profile and design, the facelifted Octavia does look similar to the Skoda Kodiaq, which is also expected to launch in India by the end of this year. The wider radiator grille, revised front bumper design and the updated rear profile with new LED lights highlight the changes that have been done to give the Octavia the new Skoda family design. Something that we will also see on the upcoming Skoda Karoq SUV that might be a replacement of the slow-selling Skoda Yeti.

Skoda has also updated the cabin design of the 2017 Octavia. While the layout is almost similar, it gets a new instrument cluster along with multi-information display. The lower variants will sport a 6.5-inch screen while the higher trims will come equipped with a 9.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The facelifted Octavia sold in the international markets gets a Columbus navigation system with 64GB flash memory and optional LTE module for accessing internet. In addition, the Euro-spec model also comes with blind spot warning and emergency brake with pedestrian detection, both of which use radar sensors. Something that might be given a miss when launched in India.

Skoda India will retain the 1.4-litre, 1.8-litre petrol and 2.0-litre diesel engines on the Octavia facelift to price the sedan competitively. We expect Skoda to price the Octavia facelift at up to Rs 80,000 more than the present version. The Skoda Octavia competes with the likes of Hyundai Elantra, Chevrolet Cruze and the Toyota Corolla Altis in India. Skoda is also expected to bring the spruced-up version, the Octavia vRS, by August this year in India.