Skoda Celebrates 50th Anniversary of its First Rear-Engined Car, the 1000 MB

For those of you who grew up in communist countries like I did, the Skoda 1000 MB is a familiar car. Now, at its 50th anniversary, the compact model is one of Skoda’s most iconic models, as it was the brand’s first vehicle that combined a rear-mounted engine with rear-wheel-drive, independent suspension and unibody construction.

Skoda Rapid and Spaceback GreenLine Priced and Rated in the UK

The Skoda Rapid Spaceback has not been on sale for long, but there’s already a more eco-friendly GreenLine version, which is also available for the regular sedan-shaped liftback model. Now, both variants have been priced and rated in the UK, where they start at £17,195 and £17,535 respectively.

However, despite having different body styles and weights, both models are quoted to return the very same 74.3 mpg UK (3.8 l/100km or 61.9 mpg US) and emit 99 g/km CO2. These numbers will make these two cars excellent fleet choices and are partly down to the efficiency tweaks done to the cars, like the use of low rolling resistance tires.

Spec-wise, buyers will be treated to a detuned version of the now familiar 1.6-liter TDI engine, which puts out 89 hp, comes fitted with a particulate filter and drives the front wheels via a traditional five-speed manual gearbox. At least there are 15-inch alloys as standard, as are foglights, height-adjustable driver’s seat, manual air-con, reach- and rake-adjustable steering wheel and the trademark Maxi-DOT extended function trip computer (a must on any new Skoda, really – should be standard, but it’s not).

If you order one now (which you can), Skoda says you will be taking delivery in early 2014.

Still, keep in mind that the larger, better and more comfortable Octavia GreenLine, equipped with the non-detuned version of the same engine is considerably more frugal and ever so slightly friendlier to the environment (it’s probably quicker too, though they don’t quote acceleration times).

By Andrei Nedelea

PHOTO GALLERY

Skoda Begins Series Production of All-New 2013 Octavia, Sales Start in Late January

On Monday, Skoda initiated series production of its brand new, third generation Octavia saloon at its Czech car plant in Mladá Boleslav, ahead of its European market launch that will take place at the end of January 2013.
Skoda said that in order to prepare its factory for the MQB-platform based model, it introduced "one of the most comprehensive modernization and expansion projects" in the history of its main plant at Mladá Boleslav, boosting the Octavia/Rapid production line’s capacity from 800 to 1,200 cars per day.

Scoop: New 2013 Skoda Octavia RS with VW Golf GTI Heart Makes an Early Appearance

While Skoda told us that we should expect to see the high-performance RS (or vRS in the United Kingdom) version of the newly introduced 2013 Octavia sometime next year, the automaker itself seems to have uploaded the car on its official configurator by mistake (?).
The images from Skoda's site are a tad fuzzy, but they still allow us to see what the new Octavia RS will look like on the outside.

New Skoda Octavia III Live Photos and Videos from Czech Presentation

As its most important new model of the past few years, Skoda wants to give the third generation of the Octavia as much publicity as possible, which is why the Czech carmaker planned a special event for the press at its headquarters in Mlada Boleslav earlier this week ahead of the car's first public outing at the Geneva Salon in March.
Skoda's bestseller has been designed from the ground up sharing its MQB-platform and mechanical hardware with the latest generations of the VW Golf, Seat Leon and Audi A3 compacts, all of which were released in Europe this year.

Skoda Officially Reveals All-New and Sleeker Looking 2013 Octavia III [Updated]

It’s been a long road with plenty of scoops of both camouflaged prototypes and unmarked cars captured during testing and photo shoots, but now the time has come for Skoda to release its third generation of the successful Octavia series, which is seen here in liftback form with an estate model to follow next year.
The 2013 Octavia is the first Skoda model to make use of the VW Group's new and lighter MQB platform that underpins several other compact cars, most notably the VW Golf Mk7 and the latest Audi A3 hatchbacks.
Compared to the model it replaces, the new Octavia is 90mm longer at 4,659mm, 45mm wider at 1,814mm, and more importantly, the wheelbase has been stretched by 108mm to 2,686mm, something that mainly benefits the interior and space on the rear seats.
As a result, front head room has increased by 8 mm, front elbow width by 39 mm and rear elbow width by 26 mm over the outgoing Octavia. According to Skoda, the Octavia offers a class-leading interior space in the compact segment with 1,782 mm of interior length and the largest boot with a volume of 590 liters.

Skoda Drops New Images of 2013 Octavia III Including First of the Interior

If what the rumor mill is saying is true, then we're literally counting days until the online unveiling of the next generation of Skoda's most popular model, the 2013 Octavia Mk3, which could explain the number of teaser images being released by the Czech carmaker.
A couple of days after Skoda provided us a set with photos of the rear combination lights and the rear window and C-column treatment, the VW Group-owned company published three more images on Friday.

Skoda Teases Bits and Pieces of New Octavia 3 on Facebook While Readers Capture the Car Undressed

It doesn't make much sense for Skoda to play games with the new Octavia 3 anymore since both the sedan/liftback and estate versions of the car have been photographed multiple times on the road camouflage-free, yet the Czech carmaker insists on providing cropped pictures of the D-segment model.
The latest set featured on Skoda's Facebook page includes shots of the tail lamps and the rear window and C-column treatment.

U Spy: New Skoda Octavia Combi Also Snagged in Chile

For some…inexplicable reason, Skoda is having a hard time hiding its new Octavia from snooping eyes while filming the car on…public roads in Santiago, Chile.
About a week ago, it was CarScoop reader Nicholas W. who captured the saloon or to be precise, the liftback model on the streets of the South American country, and now, it is Juan J., a member of the Conducechile forums, who was able nab the station wagon variant of the third generation Octavia.

Skoda Rapid Makes…Sensual Debut in Paris, Pricing Starts From £12,900 in the UK

An affordable compact-sized sedan with ample passenger and luggage room is just what the doctor ordered for many new car buyers in Europe. The new Skoda Rapid, which made its first public appearance at the Paris Auto Show this week, fits that description to a tee.
Loosely based on the VW Polo, the Rapid is 4.48 m (176.4 in.) long, 1.71 m (67.3 in.) wide and 1.46 m (57.5 in.) tall. It comes with a capacious 550-liter boot space and according to Skoda, ample room for “up to five persons”.

Skoda Releases First Photo of the Five-Door Version of its Citigo City Car

Like clockwork, the Volkswagen Group is releasing pictures and details of its expanded range of city cars based on the Up!.
Following on from last week's introduction of the Volkswagen brand's five-door Up!, it's Skoda's turn to show a more practical but same-sized version of the Citigo.
The five-door Citigo will make its grand premiere at the 2012 Geneva Salon in March before it goes on sale across Europe together with the three-door version of the Skoda-branded car from mid-May.

New Skoda Fabia Estate Greenline with 83.1mpg and 89g/km of CO2 Priced at £13,740 in the UK

The most environmentally friendly Skoda model to date, the new Fabia Estate Greenline II, goes on sale in the UK in the beginning of July with pricing set at £13,740.

The second generation Greenline models is powered by the VW Group's new three-cylinder turbocharged 1.2-liter common rail turbo diesel engine with 75-horsepower. To help improve fuel economy and reduce CO2 emissions, the Greenline model also gets start & stop technology, a kinetic energy system for battery recharging, gear recommendation system, lowered and aerodynamically-covered chassis and low-rolling resistance tires.

Skoda Posts Record Worldwide Sales in First Half of 2011

Skoda revealed today that it delivered 454,700 vehicles in the first half of 2011, which represents an increase of 20.1% compared to the same period in 2010. The Volkswagen Group brand also achieved its best ever June sales, with 81,300 deliveries, compared to 71,300 units in 2010, scoring a new sales record for the fourth month in a row.

VW Group Enters Production Deal with Russia’s GAZ

In its never-ending quest for global domination, the VW Group signed an agreement with the GAZ Group to assemble Volkswagen and Skoda models under contract at the Russian automaker’s in Nizhny Novgorod. The two companies had already concluded a memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding joint automobile production in Russia in February 2011 with a planned production volume of 110,000 vehicles per year.
Under the deal, GAZ will build the Volkswagen Jetta compact sedan, Skoda Octavia and Skoda Yeti crossover models for the Russian market, with the first vehicles to start rolling off the production line by the end of 2012.

Skoda to Challenge the Big Boys at Bonneville Speed Week with 600HP Octavia RS

With the help of the Volkswagen Group, Skoda has turned out to be quite an important player in the automotive industry. The Czech automaker delivered more than 760,000 cars last year and aims to double its annual sales to 1.5 million by 2018. But it’s not only about sales as Skoda’s German parent company is also planning to further boost the Czech brand’s image.
In celebration of the 10 year anniversary of the vRS (in the UK, simply RS for the rest of Europe) performance badge, Skoda will compete in the famous Bonneville Speed Week in August (13-20) with a specially modified Octavia vRS saloon. Skoda’s goal is to break the magic 200mph (320+ km/h) barrier for the first time in the company’s history.

A Photo Tribute to the Ladies of the 2011 Wörthersee Show

Having brought you all the automotive-related news from the 2011 Wörthersee Tour including the Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet in GTI and R formats, the 503HP Audi A1 and the Skoda Fabia RS2000 Convertible, now it is time for us to share with you something related but far more spicier if you catch our drift…
Yes, that is right; we are talking about a photo gallery of the booth professionals and ladies who made their presence felt in full force at the world’s largest annual Volkswagen Group meeting, which took place in Austria from June 1 to 4. Hop over the break to get a taste of what you missed at Lake Wörthersee in our photo set that includes more than 70 images.

A Photo Tour of the VW Group’s 2011 Wörthersee Festival with 150 Images

For the past thirty year, tens of thousands of enthusiasts of Volkswagen Group cars assemble on the shores of Lake Worthersee in Austria to participate in the largest festival of its kind in the world. Over the years, Volkswagen and the other brands of the German group including Audi, Seat and Skoda, have used the show to unveil special concepts, new models and studies that hint at future production versions or accessories.
At this year’s event (June 1 to 4, 2011), the VW Group prepared several vehicles for the festival including the production VW Golf GTI 35 Edition with 235HP, the VW Golf Cabriolet GTI and R concepts, the wild 503HP Audi A1 Clubsport Quattro study, and the Skoda Fabia RS 2000 Convertible prototype. As you may have noticed, the company didn’t show much love for its Seat brand which was left to display its current lineup.

Skoda Hot Fabia RS 2000 Concept

Not that the Skoda Fabia RS 2000 Concept needed any help to draw the attention of automotive fans at the Wörthersee show, but the Volkswagen Group was t enough to bring some very pretty faces (and bodies…) to the Czech firm’s stand. You can get a better look at the car and the girls in whichever order you prefer in our high resolution photo gallery right after the jump.

Skoda Shows Fabia RS 2000 Convertible

Over the 30 years of its existence, the Wörthersee Tour in Austria has developed from a small exclusive event for owners of the Golf GTi to a large happening connecting all brands of the ever-growing Volkswagen Group. Joining the production Golf GTI Edition 35 and the wild Audi A1 clubsport quattro concept at this year’s show is a prototype model from Skoda called the RS 2000 Concept.
Prepared especially for the anniversary meeting, the concept is a design study for an extreme convertible based on the five-door Fabia Super 2000 rally car. Skoda did not released any official information on the car’s mechanical hardware, but it very likely that the study keeps the rally model’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine linked to a six-speed sequential transmission and a four-wheel drive system with three passive differentials.

Gerhard Plattner Does it again: Drives Skoda Fabia GreenLine 2,006 km / 1,246 Miles on a Single Tank of Fuel

We're not sure if you know this, but there's a world champion in economy driving out there and his name is Gerhard Plattner. He's the kind of guy you'd want as a driver on your gas-guzzling car now that oil prices have hit the roof.
However, the Austrian champ has better things to do, like driving a Skoda Fabia GreenLine from Austria to Denmark and back on a single 45-liter (11.9 gallons US or 9.9 gallons UK) tank of diesel fuel. He covered a distance of 2,006 kilometers in a Skoda Fabia GreenLine without ever having to refuel the eco-friendly diesel car.