2014 Rapid in Australia

[The Speedfighter]

Yes maybe I worded that wrong. Most people don't know what a Skoda is, I commonly get; is that a Volvo, or is that made in Korea?
Why would some one pay X dollars for a Skoda ??? When they can buy a perceived better and bigger car from VW.

Because of their amazingly stupid way of "advertising", sorry let me rephrase this. Because of their way of not advertising the brand in this country.

But then again, we can complain until we weight an ounce but VW really really doesn't care about us as consumers

[bobski]

All of our experiences are different, but I now get plenty of people knowing what I drive. I think the advertising has worked reasonably given that 3 years ago, that was not the case. Not to say they can't do more or take a different approach.

For mine, in Aus they have 3 problems that I think they can address...

- The styling is not to everyone's tastes. I love my Octavia, but I know for a fact that plenty of people are put off by it's frumpy backend and front grill. In Australia, as soon as you have someone describing a car as quirky looking, that is its doom.
- They are positioned in a segment where buyers want lots of fruit for not much (Koreans) or perceived reliability and low cost of ownership (Toyota/Mazda). VW/Audi love their ridiculously priced options and its easy in many cases to add 5-10k.
- Skoda is competing with VW at almost the same price points. VW is (or perhaps was) that affordable aspirational brand for many aussies, and its very easy to see people on impulse taking a VW model over the equivalent Skoda, even if its a few K extra $ (hey - finance is cheap). And to the detriment of Skoda, I think Hyundai is starting to plug that gap with their midsized/SUV ranges.

On the "What you can't address" front is that many many people keep buying the same cars and have huge brand loyalty. My mother in law has now had two Aurions in a row and would buy another one in the future. And its a decent car as long as you take no-doze before you drive it. But she knows the car and is happy with it, even if variety is the spice of life and she isn't paying for them. I have very close friends who between them and their 3 boys have bought 5 Toyotas in the last 2 years because they want reliability. etc. etc.... Breaking through to people like that is almost impossible.

[Mysticality]

Yes maybe I worded that wrong. Most people don't know what a Skoda is, I commonly get; is that a Volvo, or is that made in Korea?
Why would some one pay X dollars for a Skoda ??? When they can buy a perceived better and bigger car from VW.

+1
Except I get Commodore; Subaru and Opel(!!)
I did get HSV once, and it was rather interesting watching the guys face when I explained it was a 2ltr TD and $40k!

People always ask me why so much until I start firing off things like standard sat nav, park sensors, auto lights/wipers, half leather, etc etc etc.

[brad]

Hi Gang,

I searched and couldn't find any threads about the upcoming Rapid Spaceback next year. Seems the sedan version has been canned for the time being for Aus anyway.

The Motor Report: Auto News And Reviews

Is this a replacement for the Fabia or will it sit along side? How does it compare size wise to the Fabia and Octavia?

I can't remember where but I'm sure I saw it would be priced from around $15000?! If so it would be seriously competitive in the small hatch market here in Aus.

What do people think?

I had a look at the Rapid when i was at the Skoda Museum a couple of weeks back. It's a fraction smaller than the Octavia Mk2 but way bigger than a Fabia.

New Octavia closes the gap between the Mk2 & the Superb by about 25-30%.

Both really nice cars

I doubt there will be a vRS version of the Rapid. I believe it's strictly a runabout.