Skoda Octavia & Superb luxury sedans are going to hit production end by the upcoming February 2023. Their sales will cease by end of March 2023 in India.
No matter how comfortable and luxurious the D-segment sedans look, their inevitable end is nearing. Yes, the ax is up at it again and this time two of the loved sedans are going to be its prey. The Skoda Octavia & Superb sedans will face production end by February 2023. The production end of both of these cars will shorten the D-segment sedan slim to no.
Skoda Octavia & Superb Production-End Details
So, why is it happening? The emission norms are to blame for this production end. The government will make the Phase 2 of BS6 emission norms imply from the upcoming March 2023. This will require manufacturers to produce vehicles that achieve real driving emission (RDE) targets. The RDE will help clarify which vehicle is producing how much amount of CO2 emission.
Now speaking of the Skoda, the Octavia sedan and the Superb are using the EA888 evo3 DQ381-7F drivetrain in India. The implication of Phase 2 emission norms will lead to a sudden end of this drivetrain. According to Skoda, it is not worth investing a large sum in developing a new engine for a single country. Hence, Octavia & Superb will die sooner than expected.
However, the Volkswagen Tiguan & Skoda Kodiaq SUVs will receive the EEA888 evo4 DQ381-7A drivetrain. This drivetrain is said to be compliant with the new extensive emission norms. Additionally, it has been developed along with Audi AG. Meanwhile, the lower products like the Kusahq & Slavia will continue selling unaltered.
It is not that Skoda wants to exit India. In fact, solutions were sought before this decision. The engineers suggested carrying forward the Russian-spec EA888 evo4 DQ381-7A drivetrain. However, the cost-benefit ratio would have altered heavily. Additionally, this drivetrain is an AWD which means less fuel economy as well. Hence, Skoda finally decided to end the production of Octavia & Superb.
According to Skoda officials, the deliveries will end by 31 March 2023. This translates to the fact that the Skoda lineup will become shorter than ever in India. The slow death of sedans in India has already helped in sales of the C-SUV segment.
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