Škoda Slavia

The Škoda Slavia is a subcompact sedan (B-segment) manufactured by Škoda primarily for the Indian market. It was introduced in November 2021 and has been produced since 2022. Built on the MQB A0 IN platform adapted for India, the vehicle is based on the Volkswagen Virtus sedan. The Slavia replaced the Volkswagen Polo-based Rapid.

Overview
The Slavia was introduced on 18 November 2021. Compared to the preceding Rapid, the Slavia is 128 mm longer, 53 mm wider, 20 mm taller with a 98 mm longer wheelbase. It is built with a localisation level of 95 percent. At launch, the Slavia in India is offered in three trims, which are Active, Ambition and Style.

The Slavia is available with a choice of two turbocharged petrol engines. The entry-level option is a 1.0-litre three-cylinder TSI unit producing 115 PS and paired to either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed torque converter automatic. The more powerful option is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder TSI motor with 150 PS that gets either the 6-speed manual or a 7-speed DSG gearbox. The 1.5 TSI is also equipped with the cylinder deactivation technology.

In 2022, the Slavia contains 95% local parts.

Brunei
As the follow-up of the reintroduction of Škoda Auto brand in Brunei, Škoda Auto's distributor in Brunei, TCY Motors unveiled the Slavia, offered only in Style variant powered with 1.0-litre TSI petrol engine mated with 6-speed automatic and other Škoda cars on 24 January 2024.

Safety
The Slavia is sold in India with a standard safety specification of two frontal airbags, i-Size compatible ISOFIX anchorages, Electronic Stability Control, three-point seatbelts for all seats, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, post-collision braking and a tyre pressure monitor. Higher trim levels are fitted with front-seat side torso airbags, and front and rear head-protecting curtains.

In April 2023, the Slavia was awarded five stars for adult and child occupant protection by the Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP, based on Latin NCAP 2016) under its Safer Cars for India project after testing performed at Škoda's expense. In the frontal offset impact against a deformable aluminium honeycomb at 64km/h, dummy readings indicated low or limited risk of serious injury to all critical body regions, the passenger compartment remained stable and Škoda demonstrated that the car's dual retractor-lap pretensioning system would protect the knees of occupants of different sizes or seating positions from impact with hard points in the fascia. However, moderate rearward intrusion of the brake pedal into the footwell resulted in protection of the driver's feet being rated marginal.

In the side mobile barrier impact, performed on a Volkswagen Virtus unit (a corporate twin to the Slavia), deceleration of the driver's head indicated there was hard contact with the roof liner, and protection was downrated to adequate despite dummy readings of HIC not indicating a high enough risk of serious injury. Dummy readings of deflection of the driver's ribs and forces in his pubic symphysis indicated a limited risk of serious thoracic and abdominal injury. In the side pole test, dummy readings of rib deflection indicated a moderate risk of serious fracture, but the optional curtain airbags fitted to the test unit worked well to produce head injury readings well within the tolerances allowed.

Using the Britax Dualfix child restraints selected by Volkswagen and installed rearward-facing using i-Size anchorages, both the child dummies achieved maximum points for dynamics, but the car lost points in the vehicle-based portion of the assessment because it does not offer a means to disconnect the front passenger airbag, should the need to install a rearward-facing child restraint on that seat arise. The car met minimum European regulatory requirements for electronic stability control performance and pedestrian protection.