A New Chapter - Skoda Singapore

[Watwheels]

The way the Skoda ad on class 95 pronounce is "SHKODA".

 

The male and female voice over have the very obvious "SH".

Edited March 23, 2018 by Watwheels

[No_worries]

I sincerely wish Skoda will succeed in Singapore, hopefully the Octavia will appeal to those looking for a regular 4 door family sedan.

[Hamburger]

The model rapid brings back fond memory. It's of the more unique design in the 90s.

[Gz0707]

  On 3/22/2018 at 11:33 PM, Othello said:

honestly, I don't think this group will consider Skoda, nor is VCS aiming for this group. In the past, the Octavia was slightly more exp than Asian sedans but offers so much more, still didn't work out. The Superb 2 is such a great car, but still can't beat Cefiro/Teana. 

 

imo, citroen and peugeot is same tier as Skoda. 

 

Perhaps they are targeting current Conti car owners who like their value proposition, as compared to say Volvo XC90 and Kodiaq. Of cos Volvo is one rung higher but it is also at least 100K more! For a family who already has a Mercedes C class at home and looking for a bigger 2nd car that can fetch 7, the Kodiaq does make financial sense ! 

 

lets use some airline analogy and see if this works ... 

 

Biz class = Volvo

Premium Economy = VW

"pure" Economy = Skoda

 

problem is we don't see any models which are targeted at consumers for Citroen/Renault/Peugeot and possible Asian upgraders.  VW is focused on the upgrading segment, I'm quite sure of that.  But it seems that at this point they are hesitant to slap on the "value v performance" badge on the Skoda brand - ie they juz wanna park it slightly under the VW brand, hence the high specs and price for launch models. Again, this could be a possible missed opportunity to target Asian brand upgraders since the previous skoda dealers had many issues to deal with - servicing, marketing funds and a "superbly" high marked up price - under Harvest, Superb was selling at over 170K?! 

 

 

Edited March 23, 2018 by Gz0707

[Lotr]

  On 3/22/2018 at 11:51 PM, Fungyee77 said:

After hearing all the positive reviews on the Superb, am curious to check it out myself.

 

But a lot of VW group options in that price range - Passat 1.8/2.0, Superb 2.0 and A4 2.0.

 

I suppose A4 is supposed to be a size smaller but the current gen A4 is about the same size as the Passat if I'm not mistaken.

 

Paging Carbon82 and other VW group owners - Which of the trio would you pick, and why?

Yeah, currently A4 happens to be priced around the same or lower than the superb L&K.

 

But of course this price comparison is between base model A4 and top end Superb.

 

Eg base model A4 comes with 16 inch rims while superb L&K comes with 19 inch

[Lotr]

  On 3/23/2018 at 1:47 AM, Gz0707 said:

lets use some airline analogy and see if this works ...

 

Biz class = Volvo

Premium Economy = VW

"pure" Economy = Skoda

 

problem is we don't see any models which are targeted at consumers for Citroen/Renault/Peugeot and possible Asian upgraders. VW is focused on the upgrading segment, I'm quite sure of that. But it seems that at this point they are hesitant to slap on the "value v performance" badge on the Skoda brand - ie they juz wanna park it slightly under the VW brand, hence the high specs and price for launch models. Again, this could be a possible missed opportunity to target Asian brand upgraders since the previous skoda dealers had many issues to deal with - servicing, marketing funds and a "superbly" high marked up price - under Harvest, Superb was selling at over 170K?!

Must check the omv to see how much is the mark up

[Gz0707]

  On 3/23/2018 at 2:14 AM, Lotr said:

Must check the omv to see how much is the mark up

 

funny that u asked.  we wun know until actual units are sold or someone tries to get a verbal coe confirmation from SE.  I tried another route, hence was hoping the lower trim models would be more "reasonable" and budget-like. see snap shot below for my DIY simulation. 

 

Assumptions

* VW and Skoda GBP prices are from UK site, without injection of 20% VAT yet. Used for comparison, need to review engine n trim level 

* VW & 2008/5008 OMV = actual from LTA site.  Skoda's OMV are only my estimates ... 

Edited March 23, 2018 by Gz0707

[Lotr]

  On 3/23/2018 at 2:18 AM, Gz0707 said:

funny that u asked. we wun know until actual units are sold or someone tries to get a verbal coe confirmation from SE. I tried another route, hence was hoping the lower trim models would be more "reasonable" and budget-like. see snap shot below for my DIY simulation.

 

Assumptions

* VW and Skoda GBP prices are from UK site, without injection of 20% VAT yet. Used for comparison, need to review engine n trim level

* VW & 2008/5008 OMV = actual from LTA site. Skoda's OMV are only my estimates ...

Skoda prices quite similar to VW and the mark up is also about the same.

 

I guess the problem here is they didn't bring in the lower or mid range of the Kodiaq during launch.

Edited March 23, 2018 by Lotr

[Lotr8445r]

  On 3/23/2018 at 2:14 AM, Lotr said:

Must check the omv to see how much is the mark up

I am wonder how is the current omv of superb. This will let us know how much profit the AD intend to made out from this brand. Are they expecting a 10k profit margin as B&B brand or > 30k as premium brand

[Carbon82]

  On 2/9/2018 at 7:16 AM, Carbon82 said:

The floor space is enough for display of about 6 cars from my observation. My guess for the model to be introduced here (with reference to what VW & Seat has in their local lineup) are:

 

- Kodiaq (VW do not have any 7 seater SUV, yet)

- Superb sedan (It will be dumb if this flagship model is left out)

- Octavia sedan & estate (with no replacement for Jetta in sight, Octavia will fill the gap)

- Fabia Estate (so as not to have impact on sales of VW Polo & Seat Ibiza) 

 

  On 3/22/2018 at 7:05 AM, Othello said:

Skoda Octavia 1.0 TSI 115PS — S$109,400 

 

Skoda Rapid Spaceback 1.0 TSI 95PS — S$103,400 

 

Skoda Superb 2.0 TSI 220PS Laurin & Klement — S$159,900

 

Skoda Kodiaq 2.0 TSI 180PS 4×4 Style — S$167,900

 

  On 3/22/2018 at 7:48 AM, Othello said:

For now only 4 models. I even suspect that range might be limited. VCS seems to want to complement VW with Skoda, not compete

 

 

OK, my self-impose 24 hours cooling off period is over, and here are some of my comments.

 

First of all, my guess is quite accurate (I am surprised that Rapid Spaceback is launched instead of Fabia Estate, since there is likely no replacement model for Rapid come another 2 years time), and the strategy is obviously more to capture new segment, than self-competition (with VW & Seat), that will lead to a "price war". And on the pricing part, it is somewhat within my expectation.

 

As I have stated in many of my posts on MCF, buying a car is not just about comparing the price, badge and market segment, but also spec / features, OMV, and vehicle taxes (ARF / VES). If one is purely looking at price vs badge (or for that matter, size - SUV vs sedan for example), then I would say probably Skoda is not for you. As a (once) Skoda owner, the reason for me choosing this "cold" brand few years back, is it value proposition, i.e. price vs spec / features. Please bear with me for the lengthy post...

 

If one were to make reference to pricing of Skoda Superb, Audi A4, BMW 3er, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and such in UK, it is clear that the top of the range Superb L&K cost ~10 - 15% more than a entry level A4, 3er & C-Class. But the comparison don't just stop here. Why is it that Superb L&K can still sell in UK (or other part of Europe) with such pricing (or why I choose a Superb over a 318 few years back)? It is something the other few more cannot offer, mainly space and features (for the same price).

 

A quick glance on Superb L&K spec on Skoda Singapore website, it comes with:

- 19-inch alloy wheels

- Panoramic sunroof

- Virtual pedal

- Leather upholstery

- Power front ventilated seats with memory function for driver

- Driver profile selection

- 10-colour ambient lighting

- 3-zone climatronic air-conditioning

- 9.2-inch ‘Columbus’ navigation system

- ‘Canton’ sound system

- Phone box with wireless charging and WLAN

- 9 airbags

- Blind spot detect with rear traffic alert

- Electric boot lid

- Rear-view camera

- Cruise control

- Park assist

- Dynamic chassis control (DCC)

 

Can all these be found on say a 1.4TSI A4, 318i or C180? And needless to say, the interior space is at least a class above it competitor, which is what attracted me (and my family) most... The nearest "apple" I can think of is the Passat 2.0 TSI Exclusive Line, which cost ~$20K more.

 

T.B.C.

[Othello]

  On 3/22/2018 at 11:51 PM, Fungyee77 said:

After hearing all the positive reviews on the Superb, am curious to check it out myself.

 

But a lot of VW group options in that price range - Passat 1.8/2.0, Superb 2.0 and A4 2.0.

 

I suppose A4 is supposed to be a size smaller but the current gen A4 is about the same size as the Passat if I'm not mistaken.

 

Paging Carbon82 and other VW group owners - Which of the trio would you pick, and why?

 

Superb's rear legroom is legendary, I suggest you go and see first 

 

I would say A4 is out in this comparison, different category. More of Passat2.0 vs Superb. Go and google and you see a clear winner in different online reviews............. it's the cheaper car 

Edited March 23, 2018 by Othello

[Krieger]

I used to own a Skoda superb as a work horse. The car really drives well and had tons of space in its cat. Lots of technology as well.

The parts used are shared between VW and Audi. I once serviced outside and the charges for skoda parts are the cheapest . I just find it weird when workshop charges differently for the same parts but of different brand (VW, audi and Sko), I really mean the same exact parts (Example oil filter and aircon filters.)

 

It boils down to branding I suppose?

[Beanoyip]

http://www.businessinsider.sg/volkswagens-skoda-is-back-in-singapore-with-just-4-models-heres-a-look-at-its-spanking-new-showroom/

 

Anyone know if the Superb for $160k is the 4x4 version? or just base model.

[Beanoyip]

Just checked the website, it's the 162kw model, which is the GTI engine.. pity they didn't bring the 206 version in..

[Beanoyip]

Having owned 2 Skodas in the past, really hope Skoda can hold a place in SG...

[jwandjw]

No news if they can ever bring in a Superb Estate? Was looking forward...

[Gz0707]

A few fellow conti brands were mentioned earlier in the thread.  Took a look and if you collate the conti (budget) segment for a quick view, it gets interesting. <Caveat is the definition of players within the segment> But it seems that VW has lost both in terms of absolute units sold and market share to new comer Seat and Opel which surged 300% in its 2017.  Over last 3 years, Citroen, Renault and Peugeot gained mkt share at VW's expense. Hope the chart is self explanatory. 

 

If Skoda and its pricing is not used aggressively on the fellow conti brands, it may miss out on sales to support its main VW brand ... (keeping in mind Seat is competitor in SG mkt and not under the VAG umbrella)

Edited March 23, 2018 by Gz0707

[Carbon82]

  On 3/22/2018 at 7:21 AM, Lotr8445r said:

Thanks. When coe is 5k, superb 2L is selling at 115k. Now coe at ~40k they cost 160k?

 

They used to be cheaper than Mondeo. Mondeo at 50+k coe last year cost about 145k

Your info salah lah... The 2nd gen Superb was launch in 2009 with 1.8 TSI engine in 2 trim level, Ambition and Elegance. The car can be had for ~$90K (OMV $28K) & $100K (OMV $31K) respectively, when COE is ~$5K. The cheapest 2.0 TSI Elegnace is ~$150K+ (OMV $26K) when COE hit $80K mark, in 2012.

 

You missed out on the OMV part and changes in vehicle taxes, which form a large part to the car pricing in Singapore. I will skip the detailed calculation but highlight how the chances co-relate to the current pricing. With the assumption that OMV for Superb L&K is ~$35K,

 

Additonal vehicle tax (ARF, custom duty, SGT, etc.) = $9K x 2.284 = $20.5K

Tiered ARF (140% for OMV of >$20K to $50K) = $15K x additional 40% = $6K

VES Surcharge = $10K

 

The cost (excluding COE) of Superb L&K increased by a whopping $36.5K vs the last 2.0 TSI, and if you put that into the equation, the cost of a 2.0 Superb would now be closer to $145K, no doubt it is still lower than Skoda listed price of $159K, but I guess that it where the over-trade part will come into play later (VW typically sell a car at a few $K lower than the listed price and will at time dish out non-official over-trade deal to attract sincere buyer).

 

And let not forget, you are now getting the top of the range L&K edition, which used to retail for a $30K premium (over Elegance trim), when it is still under Harvest Auto.

 

  On 3/22/2018 at 8:16 AM, RenOpel said:

Thank you for the photos and the price information. I'm really glad they brought in the Octavia 1.0 Tsi. However, I think that they have set the prices too high. I was expecting something closer to the Korean car prices, and significantly less than the Golf or Polo. So this dampens my excitement a little bit. BUT, still, the Octavia and Rapid are worth considering.

  On 3/22/2018 at 9:27 AM, RenOpel said:

Just checked the VW website, and the Golf 1.0 TSi is going for $111K. If the Elantra is about $90K, the Octavia should be about midpoint between the 2, around $100K or maybe just under. It will be interesting to see what the launch offers are like!

If you make reference to Skoda & VW pricing in Europe, it is quite the same as what we get here, i.e. Octavia for the pricing of Golf, or therebaout.

 

And there is something I believe everyone posting here missed out. The pricing of Octavia & Rapid Spaceback is based on the latest VES scheme (taking into more emission parameters then current), effective 1st July 2018, where it will attract a $10K surcharge, vs current Golf with $0 surcharge, so do the sum again and the answer is crystal clear now, isn't it?

 

 

If that is still not clear enough for some, the new VES (July 2018) is likely going to hit >80% of the B&B model sold here, suh as Elantra, K3, and even Altis, so by then, all B&B model will likely start from $100K and up, making the Octavia less expensive in real term.

 

OK, lunch break for now. I will be back to touch on Kodiaq later. Stay tuned.

Edited March 23, 2018 by Carbon82