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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica has left the Santa Corona hospital in Italy where he had spent the last 11 weeks after a scary rally accident. According to a hospital statement, the Polish driver is in good condition and will soon begin rehab. “He will carry on being monitored by the Santa Corona doctors who had him in their care through scheduled appointments," the hospital said in a press statement.
Volkswagen Group's new strategy for Skoda is beginning to show its first results. In order to avoid competition between VW and Skoda products and to get a piece of the low-cost market, the German company’s plans for the Czech automaker include a new affordable model.
According to reports from the UK, Skoda has confirmed that the new addition will be a small sedan positioned between the Fabia supermini and the Octavia and will target developing markets. The sedan, which could be a competitor to Renault’s Dacia Logan, is scheduled for launch in 2012, but first Skoda will introduce a city car based on Volkswagen’s forthcoming Up series.
The VW Group’s Czech subsidiary Skoda has unveiled the Fabia R2, a new race-spec mode intended for the popular R2 rally category. Based on the series production Fabia, the R2 features significant changes to the engine, chassis, suspension and gearbox.
Skoda's offerings at the 2011 Geneva Salon include a new special edition version of the Fabia supermini that is said to have been created to celebrate 100 years of the Monte Carlo Rally, and commemorate the 110 year anniversary of the brand's motorsport efforts.
While competing in the Ronde de Andorra rally in Italy, Polish Formula 1 star Robert Kubica was involved in a horrendous crash on Sunday, as he lost control of his Skoda Fabia S2000 rally car and left the road at high speed. The Lotus-Renault team driver was airlifted from the scene and underwent successful emergency surgery at the Santa Corona hospital in Pietra Ligure.
Kubica has suffered multiple fractures to his right arm and hand with initial reports saying that he could lose the functionality of his limb. Fortunately, the operation went well, according to Dr. Mario Igor Rosello, who told reporters that Kubica, awakened form an induced coma, was able to move his fingers, which is “an encouraging sign for the rest of the recovery process”.
VW Group subsidiary Skoda is celebrating the 100 years of the Monte Carlo Rally as well as its own 110 year-long involvement in motorsports with the presentation of the Fabia Monte Carlo, a special edition version of the five-door hatchback model with bespoke exterior and interior styling cues.
The once ailing Skoda brand is turning out to be a solid investment for the Volkswagen Group as the Czech automaker is breaking one sales record after the other. In the year that just passed on, Skoda Auto recorded is best-ever sales results delivering 762,000 vehicles, which represents an increase of 11.5% over 2009 when it sold 684,200 units. Furthermore, the company broke the threshold of three quarters of a million vehicles sold in a single year for the first time in its history.
In celebration of the International Rally Championship (IRC) title won by its Fabia S2000, Skoda has rolled out a limited-run edition version of its road-going Fabia RS hot hatch dressed in the firm's racing colors. All 200 examples of the car will be painted in a Rally Green finish with a white roof, white alloy wheels and stickers from the rally-spec S2000 model.
As Skoda is enjoying its best year on record, the VW Group-owned company wants to build on the momentum by launching a new TV campaign for the Fabia vRS hot hatch. The new ad, which is meant to show the darker side of the 180-horsepower-strong hatch, features the "Made from Meaner Stuff" tagline. There will be two versions of the TV commercial, a short 30 second ad and an uncut, 60 second advert.
Just today, we learned that Skoda delivered a record number of vehicles in the first nine months of 2010, increasing its operating profit by a whopping 64%. This is what most people know about the Czech automaker; that it has been a wild success since Volkswagen took over the reins of the company. But there are others -myself included- who think the real glory of Skoda lies in its past.
Shortly after the announcement on the release of the Seat Ibiza SC Sport-Limited edition (see here), Skoda's German arm went ahead and announced the launch of a similar sport kit named "Race Package" for its recently facelifted Fabia hatchback.
Skoda's UK arm announced today that it has made the Fabia Sport edition a tad sportier by lowering its suspension by 15mm. Unfortunately the modification will see an increase of £290 per vehicle with the new prices applicable to orders placed from 1 October. The Sport edition is available with two petrol engines, 70HP 1.2L (£10,880) and 105HP 1.6L (£12,035) and two diesel units, 80HP 1.4L (£12,340) and 105HP 1.9L (£13,025). All Sport editions boast 16-inch alloys and a subtle bodykit as standard.
Skoda has just released a special edition version of its Fabia supermini for the UK market. Called Blueline, the Czech supermini comes with a unique Pacific Blue paint combined with a white roof, 15-inch alloy wheels and a lower suspension. Interior features over the standard Fabia 2 include 'Magic' upholstery, climate control air conditioning, glasses storage compartment and storage boxes under front seats. The Fabia Blueline is available with a 70HP 1.2-liter petrol engine and an a 80Hp 1.4-liter turbo diesel with prices set £9,990 and £11,450 respectively. -Continued
Skoda supports that Fabia BlueLine offers buyers £750 worth of extra equipment at a price of just £160. The special edition model will only be available for a short period in the U.K. with production limited to just 500 cars.
