Skoda Auto recently revealed a New Rapid Cabriolet Concept as part of its student car project in India. This is the first time the automotive group has brought the project to our country. We take a closer look.
Skoda Rapid Cabriolet: Exterior Design and Interior Layout
Compared to the regular model, the Rapid Cabriolet features a host of modifications. The front end provides new LED DRLs on the bumper while the Skoda badge on the bonnet retracts with a single button press. It also gets yellow highlights on the bumper, doors, and brake calipers. Towards the rear, the Cabriolet offers a sports exhaust.
Moving inside, the Rapid Cabriolet’s cabin features scarlet-red upholstery and a new, larger infotainment system. Since the car has no B-pillars, the seatbelts are mounted on the seats itself.
Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Training Program
The Rapid Cabriolet Concept is the result of students selected from the VW group’s Academy's Dual Vocational Training in Mechatronics programme. This project offers students a more hands-on approach to the automotive industry, allowing them to apply theoretical knowledge in a real-world setting.
Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Managing Director and CEO, Piyush Arora, stated, “This initiative reflects our commitment to nurturing talent and promoting innovation in the Indian automotive industry. Such initiatives also create an opportunity for the realisation of futuristic ideas by building prototypes with out-of-box thinking without the fear of failure”.
Skoda Azubi Student Car International Project
While the Rapid Cabriolet is the first Student Car Project by Skoda Auto Volkswagen India, the automotive group has been holding an international project for some time now. Known as the Azubi Student Car Project, it is now in its ninth iteration. Skoda vocational students in Mlada Boleslav have been designing, engineering, and building their dream concept car since 2014.
The brand is taking steps with the Indian academy to include the Student Car Program as a project in the students’ syllabus. The program will have one cycle of projects per year, with student selection rules set to be improved and make it more competitive.
The Academy's Dual Vocational Training in Mechatronics is the automobile manufacturer’s flagship program, helping up skill 10-grade school students since 2011. Adopted from Germany, it is a full-time 3.5-year course that focuses on developing and nurturing talent to take up critical roles after graduating.
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