Skoda reveals Focus rival

What's the news?
Skoda has unveiled its production ready Rapid, a four-door saloon that sits between the Fabia and Octavia in its line-up and targets the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf class.

Exterior
As little has been revealed on the specification end of things we need to focus on the Rapid's looks. It launches a new Skoda family aesthetic with a distinctive new front grille, sharp lines and a 'clean' overall appearance. It's 4.48 metres long and 1.7 metres wide, which makes it quite a bit shorter than the Volkswagen Jetta, and a little narrower.

Interior
No images of the Rapid's cabin have been released so we can't tell you too much, but Skoda does promise that the new car 'sets a new benchmark for roominess in the compact class'. Presumably rivals will come from within the Volkswagen Group (Jetta, new SEAT Toledo for example) and from the Ford Focus saloon and the new Opel Astra saloon.

Mechanicals
The trend of little information continues... Skoda says that just one diesel engine will be offered alongside five petrol options, which seems odd in a diesel-obsessed market, but does indicate the company's confidence in its latest TSI petrol line-up. We'd hazard a guess that the diesel is the 1.6 TDI unit with 105hp, while the petrol engines are sure to include 1.2-, 1.4- and 1.8-litre TSI units in various states of tune.

Anything else?
The Skoda Rapid makes its public debut at the Paris Motor Show this September. It's highly likely to spawn an RS model and looks perfect for an estate car body too. Market launch is set for late 2012. No pricing details as yet.

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