It looks like the Skoda Slavia, along with its mechanical twin, Kushaq might soon get a diesel engine option. A test mule of the Slavia completely wrapped in camouflage has reportedly been spotted by some. Since there are no facelifts or upgrades on the cards for the premium mid-size sedan, I feel this testing is possibly be for the diesel version. Note that there have been reports of Skoda bringing back the iconic TDI diesel engine with the Superb since February of this year. While Superb is a niche product, the real volumes would be derived from the mass-market Skoda products in our market in the form of Slavia and Kushaq.
Skoda Slavia and Kushaq to Get Diesel Option
The TDI engine of Volkswagen was one of the most revered powertrains across the globe up until a few years ago. The subsidiaries of the VW Group including Skoda, Audi, etc., used this engine with multiple products. As a matter of fact, the Rapid, Octavia, Superb VW Polo, Vento, and Passat, had the TDI mill in different configurations. These engines were known for their spirited performance and high fuel efficiency. However, after the infamous Dieselgate or emissiongate scandal from VW in 2015, the German carmaker discontinued that option.
It was found out that VW was trying to manipulate the emission testing equipment by behaving differently during the testing, while the real-world emissions were way higher. Hence, it was slapped with enormous fines worth multi-billion dollars in the U.S. based on the sales of the 2.0-litre diesel engine. This was followed by a bad reputation associated with VW’s diesel engine across categories and nations. This resulted in VW offering cars with only TSI turbo petrol mills. Finally, reports of Skoda bringing back the diesel engine with the new Superb began surfacing in the last couple of months.
Our View
I feel if Skoda does re-introduce the diesel mill in India, it is possible that it will trickle down to its mass-market products like the Slavia and Kushaq. In the segment where these cars operate, most rivals don’t offer the option of anything else apart from the petrol and turbo petrol engines. Hence, it could be a great pull for a whole lot of potential buyers if they can get the option of going for a well-known and powerful TDI engine from VW’s stable. The Slavia is already being tested, perhaps with this mill. Hence, we could witness the TDI engine sooner rather than later. In any case, I shall keep an eye out for further developments in this case.
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