2015 Skoda Superb Revealed

Skoda this week has released official sketch of new 2015 Skoda Superb, which will be officially premiered in February 2015 at Skoda's home town of Prague. Further introduction at the Geneva Motor Show in early March and the market launch is scheduled for mid-2015. The Skoda Superb is always been at the top of its model range since 2001. Till date, Skoda has delivered more than 700,000 first and second generation Skoda Superb to customers all over the world.

"The new Skoda Superb is the best Skoda ever. This latest generation of our flagship will appeal to new groups of customers in the business and private sector. The qualities of the Superb emphasise the brand's values and point to the future of Skoda", says Prof Dr H.C Winfried Vahland, CEO, Skoda.

As the camouflaged version was not much revealing, but the sketch is influenced by Vision C concept. The renderings which were released earlier reveals the new Superb gets a typical Skoda grille and headlight integrated LED daytime running lights. However, the sketch provide the basics about the car, yet we are not sure how different it will be. But we can say that the car has been shifted to upper mid class with its new design and proportions, space, innovative technology, driving dynamics and build quality.

The car will ride on Volkswagen Group's MQB platform, hence, will be lighter than its predecessor by 75 kg. The length will also increase by 20cm with increase in wheelbase by 80mm which ensure more space for passengers. With a boot space of 625-litres with rear seats up and 1,760-litres by folding rear seats.

Inside Skoda will also introduce a lot of advanced features to increase comfort, connectivity, safety and a big infotainment system with MirrorLink, a technology that mirrors the phone’s screen on the infotainment system.

Coming to the powertrain, the new Superb will continue to be powered with by four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, which might be tuned for extra power. However, the 6-speed manual gearbox and an automatic DSG transmission options will remain same. A plug-in hybrid variant is also expected in further generation.

The new 2015 Skoda Superb will be launched in India in the beginning of 2016 and is expected to be priced between 20-25 lakh.

Competitors are Honda Accord, VW Passat and Toyota Camry.

Chevrolet Unveils Next Generation Sail

Chevrolet unveiled the next generation Sail in China. The unveiling took place at the Guangzhou Auto Show. The next generation Sail has been modified heavily, which, from the looks of it all, looks very good indeed. The new Sail features a completely new design, both on the outside and the inside. The new design features some trademark Chevrolet design elements. These can be seen with the massive dual front grille with the Bow-Tie badge present right at the center. The headlamps have been redesigned as well, they come in a beautiful swept-back design, which has increased the overall design appeal of the car. The car now looks more modern and up-to date, a much needed change. The previous generation car looked dated. It's low cost manufacturing was evident from it's exterior design as well. The new car, however, manages to cover up that problem pretty well.




The design looks pretty classy and the car looks well-built. It borrows various components from it's elder siblings, like the outer rear view mirror units, door handles, etc. This is a good sign as better quality and finish can be expected from the manufacturer. The dimensions have been modified as well, with the wheelbase has been increases by 35mm. This translates into additional cabin space, which is sure to increase the appeal of the Sail as a family sedan. The rear end sees design changes as well. The new boot-lid and tail-lamps look  refreshed, but do not raise eyebrows in terms of their design.

The inside of the car is refreshed as well. The new Sail features an all new dashboard, which looks very good. The 'flowing' design of the console is a welcome addition to the car. It looks better put together and the combination of the colors used make the cabin a desirable place to be in. The new steering wheel is well sculpted and looks very good. The seats have been sculpted as well, for added comfort. The new Sail comes with 366 litres of bootspace.

The new Chevy will ship with two engine options, a 1.3 litre VVT  petrol and a 1.5 litre DVVT diesel engine. The power output figures have not been disclosed yet but they are expected to be modest as this car is not meant to be sporty. The car will also come with the choice of a manual transmission or an AMT automatic one.

The car was unveiled in China as it is the car's main market. The Sail has done well in that country, though it failed to replicate that kind of success on our roads. Seeing this, the possibility of Chevrolet launching the new generation Sail in India is very low indeed. The cars in India received a minor update this festive season. Even if Chevrolet decides to launch these vehicles in India, we will still have to wait for atleast one year, before we can take them out for a proper road test.