Czech Designer Imagines a Skoda WRC Racecar Based on the Vision D Concept
April 14, 2011
Skoda is a brand with a long tradition in motorsports and this has inspired Czech designer Pavel Hruby to draw a study of a modern Skoda world rally car. Hruby took inspiration from the Skoda Vision D Concept shown by the Czech brand at this year's Geneva Motor Show.
The VW Group’s subsidiary was not involved in any way in this project, with the sketch having been commissioned by Czech Magazine AutoDesign&Styling. The Skoda Vision WRC project shows Hruby's ideas of what a new rally model from the Czech automaker could look like. Based on the new design language launched by the Vision D concept, the rally car features the new corporate grille, underlined by a massive air intake in the lower part of the bumper.
Read more »Skoda Reportedly Readying Up-based City Car for 2011 and Low-Cost Sedan for 2012
March 15, 2011
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.
Skoda Introduces Fabia R2 Rally Car for the Masses
March 8, 2011
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. Read more »
Geneva 2011: Skoda's Fabia Monte Carlo Special is all Show, No Go
March 3, 2011
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. Read more »
Geneva 2011: Skoda’s Vision of its Design Future
March 2, 2011
Skoda seems to be shedding its old style language for a new bolder corporate design direction. The aim is to highlight Skoda's green line up while differentiating the brand from others in the Volkswagen group. The VisionD is the first such concept car under this new design direction, the overall effect is a simple, clean design that is to feature in all future Skoda cars. Read more »
Skoda Reveals VisionD Design Study and Brand New Logo
February 28, 2011
Making its world premiere at the 81st Geneva International Motor Show is the Skoda VisionD, a concept model that previews the brand's new design direction and is the first vehicle to wear Skoda's new logo.
The VisionD concept car takes the form of a sharp-looking five-door hatchback. Skoda claims the long wheelbase and short overhangs allow for above-average interior space, while the dynamic roof line offers the car a “high degree of visual majesty”. The fluent integration of the tailgate into the car's overall line and the absence of a third latteral glass give the hatchback a dynamic appearance.
Skoda Confirms All-New Concept Car for the Geneva Motor Show
February 22, 2011
The presentation of an as-of-yet unnamed concept model will be the highlight of Skoda's Geneva Motor Show booth. For now, the Czech automaker is keeping the name and photos of the car to itself, but the company said that the study will reflect the brand's new design language that will be applied in the next generation of models. Read more »
F1 Driver Robert Kubica Injured in Rally Crash, May Save his Arm After Emergency Surgery [with Video]
February 7, 2011
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”.
Read more »Skoda's Fabia Monte Carlo Anniversary Model Packs Style but Lacks Punch
January 13, 2011
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. Read more »
VW Group's Skoda Division Sets New Record in 2010 with 762,600 Sales
January 6, 2011
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. Read more »
VIDEO: Meet the Bad Boy Builders of Skoda’s Mean Green Fabia vRS
December 20, 2010
After focusing on the 'Mean Green' machine first, Skoda has now released a follow-up video clip documenting the fictional bad boy crew that builds the Fabia vRS hot-hatch in the firm's latest commercial on the car for the United Kingdom. The new campaign takes a darker but equally humorous twist on the Fabia’s ‘Made of Lovely Stuff’ proposition which was made famous by the 2007 Fabia ‘Cake’ commercial. You can watch the new ad in the video after the jump. Read more »
Skoda Celebrates IRC Title with Fabia RS Edition S2000
November 11, 2010
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.
Read more »
VIDEO: Skoda Fabia vRS Hot Hatch Shows its "Meaner" side in New TV Ad
November 1, 2010
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.
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A Painted History of Skoda
October 28, 2010
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.
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Paris Preshow: Skoda's All-Electric Octavia Green E Line
September 29, 2010
[Updated] This year's edition of the Paris show will see the VW Group's successful Skoda brand unveiling its first-ever electric-powered vehicle called the Octavia Green E Line. Skoda says it is planning to create a special test fleet of Octavias Green E Line in 2011 with the goal of obtaining additional information relevant to the further development of the electric drive.
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Skoda Introduces New 1.6 TDI to Superb Range
August 19, 2010
The VW Group's new 1.6 TDI turbo diesel is making its way to the options lists of the European market Skoda Superb saloon and Estate / Combi (station wagon) models, where it will replace the 1.9 TDI.
While the smaller displacement 1.6-liter four-cylinder diesel unit produces the same output figures as the 1.9 TDI with 105-horsepower and 250Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque, it promises to offer improved diesel mileage and lower CO2 emissions.
New Skoda Fabia Estate Greenline with 83.1mpg and 89g/km of CO2 Priced at £13,740 in the UK
June 23, 2010
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.
Volkswagen Group to Build New Factory in Foshan, China
June 9, 2010
The Volkswagen Group announced on Wednesday plans to expand its production capacities in China with the construction of a new automotive plant in at Foshan, in the Southern Chinese region of Guangdong. The new production facility will have the capacity to assemble 300,000 vehicles annually and will begin operations in mid-2013.
"China has become the Volkswagen Group's largest and most important sales market. We intend to continue above-average growth side by side with our partners. With our unprecedented investment program, we intend to double our capacities in China to three million vehicles per year by 2013/14," said VW boss, Martin Winterkorn.
Skoda Launches Race-Package for Facelifted Fabia Hatch
June 2, 2010
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.
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New Skoda Superb Fastback Design Concept
May 29, 2010
With Volkswagen and Audi both featuring what marketers and advertising agencies like to call "four-door coupe" models in their range (the Passat CC and A5 Sportback respectively), one wonders why the German group hasn't added a similar model to their more mainstream brands, Seat and Skoda.
Czech architect and designer Pavel Hrubyi decided to take matters in his own hands (or so to speak) and draw a four-door coupe, sportback, fastback or whatever else you would like to call it, proposal for the Skoda brand based on the firm's range-topping Superb saloon.
