Skoda Slavia trademarked; could it be the Rapid replacement?

The replacement for the Rapid would share its underpinnings with Skoda-Volkswagen's new compact SUVs for India and will be based on the MQB A0 IN platform.

Skoda has filed a trademark for the name "Slavia" in India. This name could be used for the car that could replace the Skoda Rapid in the Indian market.

The "Slavia" name was first used by Skoda Founders Václav Laurin and Václav Klement for the first bicycles produced by the company in 1985. The name was used for the 7th Skoda Student Concept car commemorating this occasion. 

The replacement for the Rapid would share its underpinnings with Skoda-Volkswagen's new compact SUVs for India. Both the Vento and the Rapid will be based on the MQB A0 IN platform and are also expected to be powered by the same 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine that is currently on offer. This engine develops 108 BHP and 175 Nm and is mated to either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic gearbox.

We had reported earlier that the Volkswagen Vento would debut before the Skoda Rapid. These two cars are part of VW Group's India 2.0 project.

Skoda-Volkswagen's main focus is on new compact SUVs for India. These include the Skoda Vision IN and VW Taigun.