 Amid much fanfare on a cold and misty January morning in New Delhi, SkodaAuto India, known for its tank-like sedans and peppy powertrains, announced its much-awaited entry into the compact car segment, with the launch of the Fabia. That was over two years back.
The pricey little hatchback (Rs 4.99-7.68 lakh) got a warm response with more than 3,500 units sold in the first four months. But then the Hyundai i20 happened, putting Skoda — one of the three brands of Volkswagen — on reverse gear.
Hyundai pitted the i20 directly against the Fabia in terms of price (Rs 4.5-6 lakh), space and comfort. The i20 clocked average sales of over 2,000 units per month in the first six months compared to 875 units per month of the Fabia.
Thomas Kuehl, member, board of directors (sales and marketing), SkodaIndia, puts up a brave face: “We were the first to introduce the concept of super hatch (in India) but as is the case always, the product which followed the Fabia received a much better response.”
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