Skoda Citigo will be cheapest Euro car here

The Skoda Citigo is likely to be just over $13,000 before on-road costs, based on the prices charged for the same cars in Europe.

The Citigo is now a definite for Australia as part of a product drive that includes the Rapid sedan that has just landed and the upcoming replacement for the Octavia, which is likely to be previewed at the Geneva motor show next March.

With the Up already starting at just $13,990, and Skoda models typically 4-5 per cent cheaper in Europe, everything points to a showroom sticker right on $13,000. If things go well on the exchange rate, it could even limbo just into the $12,000 range.

But Skoda refuses to discuss the potential pricing, even though company boss Matthew Wiesner tells Carsguide the Citigo is a definite. "We're talking about the second half of next year. We don't want it to get in the way of the Rapid, because that is very important for us in the small-car segment," Wiesner says.

"And it cannot get in the way of the next-generation Octavia. We're currently working on midyear timing for the Octavia, with some discussion about the sedan and wagon. My preference is to do it all at the same time."

The Up and its spin-offs are planned to open new entry doors across the Volkswagen Group and Wiesner confirms a similar approach for Australia, although he refuses to get into details on price or specification with the car so far in the future.

"There will be pretty much a set parameter between the pricing of the Up and Citigo, based on what happens overseas," he says. "The only variation would be specification. We've got options with packages that are available. What I don't' know yet, because we're just finalising it, is how they compare with what Volkswagen does.

"My view is that a Citigo for a Skoda brand should have the safety features as standard then keep it as simplistic as possible. As far as I'm concerned, that's what that car represents. It's a really good little urban car. "The only challenge is getting around the automated gearbox. And that' something that's still a bit of question mark, how that will be perceived."

Wiesner predicts that Skoda will have a major growth spurt in 2013 thanks to the Rapid and Octavia, the first Skoda model built from Volkswagen Group's modular AQB mechanical toolbox. Similar parts and pieces are already included in the super-good seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf that comes to Australia in the first quarter of next year.

"I've seen the next-generation A7 (Octavia) and it's a couple of generations ahead of where we are today," Wiesner confirms. "It's on the AQB platform, so that will be one of the first ones and the first for Skoda."