Skoda has had its fair share of hits & misses in the Indian space. The Superb is the superstar amongst the 20 lakh rupee cars, the Laura still manages to bring in decent numbers 6 years since launch & the Fabia has improved its sales performance after the recent facelift. Who can forget the Octavia that was, in its time, the best selling C+ segment car. On the other hand, the new Yeti has failed in the market, while Fabia sales pale in front of its competitors (including the VW Polo). What Skoda needed is an all-rounded sedan....a equivqlqnce to the Octavia if you will. 

When you look at the Rapid for the first time, it seems like Skoda took the Vento from VW and slapped the Fabia’s front end onto it. That's not entirely untrue, and no one can deny the identical nature of the 2 cars. This could be a good and bad thing for VW. Having 2 nearly identical cars could result in numbers falling for the Vento, as the Rapid is expected to undercut the VW in pricing. But then, that didn't happen with the Fabia & Polo, did it? Individually, each car may not end up a segment leader, but the parent company (VW) could be satisfied if the combined sales of the Rapid and Vento are more than the Honda City and Hyundai Verna.

It's when you start taking a closer look at the Rapid that you realize there’s more to it than just a change of headlamps and radiator grill. Although the bonnet looks similar to that of the Fabia, it’s actually much longer and isn’t as sharply raked as in the hatchback. The bonnet also extends over the front fenders. The front bumper is redesigned as well, though the headlamps, grill and fog lamps are sourced from the Fabia. The side profile is exactly the same as the Vento and you’ll be forgiven for not being able to tell one from the other. At the rear, the Rapid gets a neat nip and tuck job. The boot lid, rear bumper and tail lamps are all new, and the rear design is much sharper than the Vento's. Skoda’s new design theme makes its way into the Rapid for the first time with 2 sharp edges on either side of the number plate (like a prism edge). Also, the kink of the Vento's boot lid is replaced by a straight line on the Rapid.Try a test drive and experience yourselves...

BMW has unveiled the i3 Coupe Concept ahead of the 2012 LA Auto Show. Like the automaker's other i efforts, the i3 Coupe boasts a carbon fiber body, and an electric motor with a maximum output of 170 horsepower helps shuttle the two-door down the road. Believe it or not, the i3 Coupe Concept puts its 184 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels via a single-speed transmission. Engineers bolted an array of lithium-ion batteries under the floor to keep the vehicle's center of gravity as low as possible, and the carbon fiberreinforced plastic chassis gives the i3 Coupe Concept plenty of rigidity.

Technically, the new electric concept rides on the same wheelbase as the standard i3, but boast a wider, lower look. BMW says aesthetic tweaks like the raked windshield and gently sloping rear deck are set to become hallmarks of the i3 family.

Inside, the i3 Coupe Concept comes packed with a slew of sustainable materials, including leather, wood and wool, and thanks to the vehicle's packaging, the passenger cabin features an uninterrupted space between the driver and passenger footwell. Likewise, with no transmission tunnel, the cabin appears more open and airy