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Leaked Skoda Slavia Facelift image was AI-generated, Czech carmaker confirms
Skoda confirms viral Slavia image is not a facelift. The post has been removed since then.
Recently, an image of the Skoda Slavia has been going viral on the internet. Everyone thought that it was the facelifted version of the Slavia that would soon be launched. However, that is not the case; while the brand has not confirmed anything, our analysis shows that the image is incorrect and that the sedan shown in the image is not the Slavia facelift.
Upon closer inspection, it does seem like the image was edited and maybe generated through artificial intelligence. This is because the Skoda badging on the boot is distorted. Moreover, there are changes to the body lines as well. On the current version that is on sale, there are two body lines; the first one goes through the door handle, while the other sits above it. Both body lines connect with the Skoda badge that is placed on the fender. In the image, there is just one body line, and the Skoda badge is also missing. With facelifts, brands usually just change the bumpers, grilles and make some tweaks to the lighting elements. But they don't change the body lines because that would add additional cost, as the panel stamping process would need to be changed.
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Skoda Slavia facelift: What do we know?
The facelifted version of the Skoda Slavia will come with minor changes to the front and rear bumpers. There will also be tweaks to the lighting elements that will help differentiate the facelifted version from the current version.
There could be some changes to the interior as well. It could be in the form of better plastic quality, as the brand has received the feedback that the interior quality is not as good as that rivals. There could be feature additions as well, in the form of a 360-degree parking camera, a panoramic sunroof, front parking sensors and maybe ADAS as well.
There would be no major mechanical changes. It will continue to come with a 1.0-litre TSI and a 1.5-litre TSI engine. The 1.0-litre engine is tuned for 113 bhp and 172 Nm, whereas the 1.5-litre engine produces 148 bhp and 250 Nm. As standard, both engines come with a 6-speed manual gearbox. The 1.0-litre automatic transmission also gets a 6-speed torque converter transmission, whereas the 1.5-litre unit gets a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Having said that, there are reports that Skoda will replace the 6-speed torque converter gearbox with a new locally sourced 8-speed unit. However, we would have to wait for the official launch to happen to get this information confirmed.
