Skoda offers us Superb

It's not a great car but it will carry the Superb name and be the Australian flagship for the Czech brand in 2009. It will join the Roomster and Octavia and is likely to be joined by the baby Fabia. The Superb has been seen during a certification drive in the US, wearing minimal disguise. It is bigger than the Octavia, with a modern shape.

Final plans for the Superb are being discussed, and Australian Skoda head Matthew Wiesner says things are looking good.

He says: “It will be a superb car. We would like to launch it here in the first quarter of 2009."

“We could get it earlier, at the end of next year, but it isn't sensible to launch it in December.”

The Superb is based on the Volkswagen Passat but the newcomer will be more than a clone car.

“If we look at the segmentation here, Superb sits in the medium-car segment but it is quite a large car. It's a car that sits among the likes of the wide-body Honda Accord and Toyota Aurion,” Wiesner says.

“It's based on the same platform as the Passat but it's a bigger car."

“The noticeable thing is more rear leg room.”

Wiesner will not discuss pricing, which needs to be in the mid-$40,000s to have showroom impact.

Skoda has sharpened prices for Octavia and the Roomster wagon and is cashing-in on interest here.

It will come in petrol and diesel engines. “We'll have a nice mix with a couple of petrol engines but the real point of difference for Skoda is diesel,” Wiesner says. But he won't commit to an Australian future for the Fabia. He adds: “With Fabia, we are in serious discussion. The small-car market is vital for us. We have points of difference, with diesel engines and a unique station wagon.

“We're heading in the right direction. If it happens, and I think it would, it will be in the back end of next year. The timing would be pretty close with Superb.”