Skoda brings back Octavia in India; only 100 units up for sale in 2025

Skoda Auto India will reintroduce its high-end Octavia RS as a fully built import next month, with limited units and pre-bookings starting October 6 alongside network expansion

Škoda Auto India plans to bring back its high-end sedan Octavia RS to the Indian market next month, shifting gears after the success of its compact SUV, Kylaq.

 

Octavia RS pre-bookings start October 6 and deliveries are expected by November 6. The company will import around 100 units this year and evaluate the business case of assembling the car locally later. In the United Kingdom (UK), the car retails at £39,965 (Rs 47.7 lakh), but the Indian price is expected to be higher as it would be a fully-built-unit import.

 

Ashish Gupta, brand director of Škoda Auto India, told reporters the company plans to use the G.S.R. 870(E) rule to import the cars from the Czech Republic to India. The rule allows vehicle manufacturers in India to import a limited number of completely built vehicles without needing local homologation testing.

 

 

Škoda India will have a volume cap of around 2,500 cars each financial year and the cars need to be UK or Japan homologated. Gupta did not disclose the import volume plans for 2026, but said that the Octavia RS will operate in a category not present in the Indian sedan market.

 

Octavia cars came to India in 2004 and the last batch was sold in 2023. There are around 100,000 Octavias on the road in the country now. The fourth-generation Octavia was assembled locally before being discontinued in 2023 after new emission norms became effective.

 

Skoda Auto India has had a good year due to demand for Kylaq. Of all cars sold from January to August, around 30,000 were Kylaq and remaining 17,000 were Kushaq and Slavia. Sales have grown by almost 135 percent between January and August.

 

Gupta said that the company is on track to double its Indian market share by the end of 2025 (share was 0.8 per cent at the end of 2024). “We are expanding our network presence across the country and in the last three months, 75 per cent of our new geographic expansion has happened in Tier-III cities.”

 

“Around 70 per cent of our new workshops have opened in Tier-II and Tier-III cities; while 65 per cent of our new showrooms have opened in Tier-II and -III cities. This week we opened a dealership in Itanagar,” he said.   

Back in game

• Pre-bookings for the Octavia RS will begin on October 6, and deliveries may start by November 6
• In the UK, the car is sold at £39,965 (₹47.7 lakh), but Indian price expected to be higher as it would be a fully-built-unit import
• Škoda Auto India Brand Director Ashish Gupta said it plans to take the GSR 870 rule to import the cars into India
• The standard fourth-generation Octavia was discontinued in 2023 after BS6-II emission norms became effective