Skoda has officially launched the Fabia hatchback at the Auto Expo 2008. (we reported: New Fabia Launching at Auto Expo 2008).
The Fabia is being branded as a 'super hatch' by Skoda to place it at a premium over other B segment hatchbacks in the market. The Fabia has been intitially lauched with a 1.4 petrol (85 bhp) and a 1.4 diesel (69 bhp) engine with a 1.2 litre petrol unit expected to come in later part of 2008. The power seems on the lower side expecially in the diesel considering that the Fabia is going to be heavier than the Swift which has 87 bhp in petrol and 75 bhp in diesel form. If we pit this motor against the one in the Hyundai Getz diesel which has a 110 bhp 1.5 litre diesel motor Skoda clearly has lost the plot here. Skoda would be banking on the discerning customer who would appreciate the build, fit and finish and quality levels and not bother all that much about performance.
The price range is wide and varies betweenRs. 4.99 to 7.68 lakh (ex-showroom Maharashtra) depending on engine type and variant and is the highest in the premium hatchbatch category (excluding the Optra SRV and the Ford Fusion). To validate this pricing equipment levels are very lavish for a hatchback thereby getting rid of the notion that all hatchbacks are for the budget oriented buyer. The top end variant 'Elegance' has goodies like ABS, EBD, dual front airbags, sunroof, 2 din sound system, alloy wheels, parkatronic, projector headlamps etc. The diesel variant is likely to sell the most in the Indian market so here are the expected performance figures of the Fabia 1.4 Tdi:
Top Speed: 168 kmph
Mileage: 16-17 kmpl
Acceleration: 0-100kmph in 15 seconds
It's clear from these figures that the Fabia is beat on performance by many other hatchbacks including the Swift, Getz & even the Palio 1.6, but urban buyers are likely to lap up the Fabia for the upmarket feel & quality in a hatchback which is convenient for in city driving. Lets see how fabulous are the Fabia's sales.
View the Fabia India Website
SKODA FABIA PICTURES FROM THE NEW DELHI AUTO EXPO 2008






Monitoring the automotive industry to keep you updated on the latest news, scoops and launches. Published by Udit Bhandari. IndiBlog is looking for contributors. If you are a petrol head and can write too, drop in a line to udit(at)indimoto(dot)com.