Skoda's new small car, the Citigo will be launched in India in 2012
Skoda has released the first official photographs of its brand-new small car, the Citigo, which will be launched in Europe early next year. A five-door version of the Citigo will also be launched in India in 2012. ‘The Citigo is one of the pillars of our growth strategy. It paves the way for tremendous opportunities in a new segment,’ says Skoda Board Chairman, Dr H C Winfried Vahland. ‘Despite its small size, it offers ample interior space and is agile and frugal. Put simply, the car offers all of Skoda’s values in a compact package and fits perfectly with our aims,’ he adds.
The Citigo will be positioned at a notch below the Fabia hatchback and is likely to be priced at around Rs four lakh in India. ‘The demand for small cars with low fuel consumption, at a favourable price and with reasonable operating costs, is growing. The Citigo is a reaction to this trend,’ says Dr Vahland. According to Skoda, the Citigo has been engineered to provide ample space for four occupants and while its prime focus is urban travel, the car will be powerful and comfortable enough for longer journeys as well.
Skoda says the Citigo is a ‘clever’ small car, with interiors that make life comfortable for its owner. Inside the car, Skoda has provided numerous storage compartments, a portable and easy-to-use navigation system, Bluetooth compatibility and an integrated, high-quality entertainment system. And with multiple airbags and a new, laser sensor-based brake assistance system that activates automatically when it detects an impending collision, the Citigo has also been engineered to be a very safe car.
The Citigo will be fitted with a 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine that, depending on state of tune, produces 60-75 horsepower. The engine, mated to a five-speed manual transmission, has been designed for optimum efficiency and can deliver as much as 28km/l in terms of fuel economy – something that small car buyers in India will definitely appreciate. In terms of performance too, the Citigo is no slouch – it’s capable of accelerating from zero to 100km/h in about 13 seconds and can hit a top speed of 160km/h.
With a host of Asian and European car manufacturers launching new small cars in India, the competition for the Skoda Citigo will definitely be tough but going by the car’s specs, it seems it has what it will take to be successful in a demanding market like ours.
