Skoda Rolls Out New Rapid Small Sedan in India

In the next step towards its bold goal of increasing Skoda's worldwide sales to at least 1.5 million vehicles per year by 2018, the Volkswagen Group revealed a new entry-level Skoda sedan named Rapid at its Pune plant in western India on Sunday.

Although it had been suggested that the Rapide may be the production version of Skoda's MissionL concept that was show in Frankfurt last month, this doesn't seem to be the case.

Instead, the Rapid, which borrows its name from the rear-engine Skoda coupe of the mid-late 1980s, is a rebadged version of the Indian market VW Vento, otherwise known as the Polo sedan.

Positioned between the Fabia and Laura/Octavia, the new five-seat Rapid has a length of 4.39 meters, a width of 1.70 meters, and a height of 1.47 meters, while offering a trunk volume of close to 500 liters.

Production of the Rapid for the Indian market began on Sunday, but sales won't start before the end of the year. When it reaches showrooms, the Rapid will offer buyers a choice of two 1.6-liter engines, a petrol and a turbo diesel unit, both producing 77kW (103HP).

Commenting on the presentation of the new Rapid, Winfried Vahland, Chairman of the board of Skoda, said:

“India is the first market in which we will introduce the new Rapid. It highlights the significance of that country for our company.

We want to step on the pedal all over the world in the coming years. In order to do so, we will clearly increase our activities outside of Europe. In this context, the Indian market plays a central role, because, besides China and Russia, it is among the markets with the greatest potential. The new Rapid is the right car at the right time for these growth markets. It is an important step on our growth path for the coming years.”

VW Boss Confirms Production Version of XL1 Concept for 2013

Remember the XL1 Super Efficient Vehicle (SEV) diesel-electric hybrid concept that Volkswagen unveiled at the Qatar Motor Show this past January? Martin Winterkorn, CEO of the VW Group, told to Autonews Europe that development plans for the ultra-efficient two-seater model are proceeding.

"We will start small series production by 2013 – in Germany," Winterkorn told the publication.

The XL1, which will reportedly be manufactured in either Dresden or Wolfsburg, is powered by a 27HP electric motor and a 48HP two-cylinder turbodiesel with a capacity of just 0.8-liters. The combined output of the two powerplants is 75HP.

Thanks to the use of lightweight materials like magnesium, ceramics, aluminum and CFRP, the XL1 tips the scales at just 795 kg (1,752 pounds).

The XL1 can operate in an all-electric mode up to speeds of 35 km/h (22 mph), at which point the diesel engine is activated. VW’s two-seater car is equipped with a 7-speed dual-clutch DSG gearbox and accelerates from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 11.9 seconds and can reach an electronically limited top speed of 160 km/h (99 mph).

According to the German company, the XL1 concept returns a combined fuel economy of just 0.9 lt/100 km, equal to 261 mpg US and 313 mpg UK while emitting just 24 g/km of CO2.

During the interview, Winterkorn also said that he is satisfied with the performance of Skoda and Seat, which belong to the VW Group:

“Skoda is one of the world’s fastest growing automotive brands, and shows how successful our multiple brand strategy is”, he said. “It stands for affordable, technologically solid cars that perfectly fit the spirit of the times, and we continue to sharpen its positioning since millions of customers are awaiting the right products.”

Skoda is expected to sell 1.5 million units in 2018 compared to 762,600 in 2010.

The loss-making Seat, however, is not doing nearly as well as its stablemate. Despite this, Winterkorn is optimistic about the brand's future: “I must say, I am pleased with what is happening at Seat right now. Seat is heading in the right direction in numerous ways; sales are rising, great new cars are coming out and the brand is now competing in China.”

Video Cadillac Owner Pushes Newbie in VW to Safety

Let's face it; we all need a helping hand sometime in our life and luckily, there are people out there willing to step in.

Like the owner of this Cadillac crossover that was captured on film in an underground parking helping out the driver of what looks to be a previous generation Volkswagen Polo hatchback.

From what we can tell, the VW driver was probably a newbie with a manual gearbox and couldn't get the car around the corner, and as a result, rolled back and hit the Caddy. After a little bit of explaining, the Cadillac driver pushed her up to safety.

Volkswagen Completes First Tests

After making its motorshow debut in Frankfurt this past September, the new Volkswagen Polo R WRC completed its first laps today in the hands of two-time World Rally Champion and Dakar winner Carlos Sainz and Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the VW Board of Management for Technology.

The four-wheel drive WRC Polo R that is equipped with a 1.6-liter turbo engine delivering an output of about 300-horses was tested in the vineyards of Veldenz near Trier, which normally plays host to the ADAC Rallye Deutschland.

Hackenberg and Sainz, both with co-driver Timo Gottschalk on their side, were able to drive the car for close to 100 kilometers (62 miles) on the 2.8km-long tarmac circuit.

After the completion of the tests, Carlos Sainz commented: "I immensely enjoy being involved in the development and testing of the new Polo R WRC – and having the privilege of driving the first kilometres is naturally a great honour. The car is still in an early stage but already feels very good."

The Polo R WRC is scheduled to compete the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) from 2013 onward.

"The first Polo represents a preliminary stage of the subsequent rally car and during the upcoming months will serve as a test vehicle for various components such as engines, gearboxes or suspension parts," said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen.

"Next year we’ll be running an extensive testing programme on tarmac, gravel, mud and snow in order to prepare ourselves for the 2013 season as best we can," he added.