Automobile Desk – To give new life to the demand for medium-sized sedan cars in the Indian automobile market, automobile manufacturer Skoda has officially introduced the new facelift version of its popular sedan Slavia. This car, which will hit the Indian roads for the first time in February 2022, has been updated by the company with many modern technologies and luxury features. Keeping in mind the increasing preference for premium sedans among Indian customers, many major changes related to cabin comfort and driving assistance are seen in this vehicle.
The main attraction in the new Skoda Slavia facelift is considered to be its rear seat comfort. For the first time in the segment, the company has introduced seats with massage function for the rear passengers, which makes long journeys extremely comfortable. Additionally, 'Park Pilot' technology equipped with front parking sensors along with 360-degree camera setup has been included for safety and ease of parking. The driver display has also been enlarged and now features a 10.25-inch fully digital instrument cluster. Features like all-LED lighting, auto-dimming IRVM, rain-sensing wipers, rear defogger, alloy wheels and an electric sunroof are also included in the car.
On the technology and connectivity front, the sedan retains the 10.1-inch main infotainment display. However, the biggest improvement is its voice assistant system, which is based on Google Cloud's automotive AI agent and Gemini technology. With the help of this advanced AI-powered voice command system, the driver or passenger can operate features like real-time news, trends, music, phone calls and climate control just by speaking.
To meet the various needs of the customers, the car is made available in six major variants, which include Classic, Classic+, Signature, Sportline, Prestige and Monte Carlo. The special thing is that the Monte Carlo variant with spotty look will be available for sale from the beginning. Talking about colors, apart from Candy White, Carbon Steel, Brilliant Silver, Lava Blue, Deep Black, Cherry Red, Shimla Green and Steel Grey, two new shades – Arctic Silver and Cappuccino Beige – have also been added.
In mechanical changes, the company has replaced the old 6-speed automatic transmission with the 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder turbo TSI petrol engine (113 bhp power and 178 Nm torque) and has included a new 8-speed torque-converter automatic gearbox. Along with this, the option of 6-speed manual is also available. At the same time, for those who want more power, there is the option of 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo petrol engine (148 bhp power and 250 Nm torque), which comes with 7-speed DSG dual-clutch gearbox. This more powerful variant also gets disc brakes at the rear wheels for better braking performance.
The company has started official bookings for this new sedan with an advance amount of ₹15,000, while its prices are expected to be revealed soon.