The company, which has just launched the Laurin & Klement this month in the C plus segment, will launch Skoda Superb by mid-April. Two new versions of their flagship model Octavia will be ready for launch by July-August and the C segment Fabia by the end of the 2004.
"We have our hands full this year with a launch almost every two months. With the new variants of the Octavia and the other new launches we hope to sell 8,000-8,500 units this calendar year," said Bipin Datar, general manger, sales and marketing of Skoda Auto.
The launch of the Skoda Superb, a super luxury car to compete with the Mercedes C Class, which was due in March will be delayed by a few weeks as the homologation ( making a car compliant with Indian regulations) process will take longer than expected.
Two variants of the Octavia -- the 1.8 turbo petrol and an automatic version of the Octavia diesel -- will be the next new set of wheels to roll out of the Aurangabad facility. This also marks two firsts for the Indian car industry -- the first turbo petrol engine and the first diesel automatic transmission. Both the cars will be priced in the Rs 11 lakh (Rs 1.1 million) region.
Skoda Fabia, the C-segment car pitted against the likes of new Honda City, is likely to hit the roads only by the end of the year.
The company is faced with quite a predicament when it comes to the positioning of the Fabia because the car comes equipped with the relatively new PD and the FSI technology, both of which will not fit into the price-sensitive C segment mould.
Skoda is also ready to unleash its Euro-III compliant range of engines this year. The Euro III technology will make its debut in the Octavia Diesel Automatic around mid-2004 and will eventually find its way into all Skoda cars.
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