New Skoda Rapid Official

The new Skoda Rapid – designed to sit in between the Fabia and Octavia – has been revealed ahead of a UK launch in November.

We can’t complain that the new Skoda Rapid hasn’t been well and truly flagged up by Skoda as a new Skoda to fill a gap between the Fabia and Octavia.

The Skoda MissionL from Frankfurt last year was the concept for the new Rapid and the Rapid itself got a preview at the Beijing Motor Show in April. But now we get the real deal, and it’s pretty much as expected.

Aiming to take a bit of market share from the Ford Focus and VW Golf, the Skoda Rapid looks like a saloon but is in fact a liftback, which means the back opens up hatch-like to swallow more stuff than either the Golf or the Focus – and it looks like the Rapid will undercut both on price.

Just like the Rapid at Beijing, the production Rapid gets the new Skoda family nose with the badge on the bonnet instead of the grill (more upmarket, apparently), but it appears to have normal door handles and loses the black roof.

We’re promised a choice of four petrol and two diesel engines in the Rapid, although Skoda aren’t letting on exactly which engines they will be. But it’s pretty certain there will be a 1.2 litre turbo petrol and a three-pot for the GreenLine versions.

The new Skoda Rapid will be on sale in the UK by the end of 2012 and be joined by its Spanish sibling – the new SEAT Toledo.

By Cars UK