Skoda Octavia 2013 News

Buying a used car is difficult enough in normal times.

Czech brand Skoda and British carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) have revealed which models will be recalled as part of the wide-spread mandatory Takata airbag call back.

US owners of VW cars with diesel engines that can cheat emissions tests have already been given $500, but local owners still have no compensation.

Three weeks after the global scandal broke, Australian owners of VW diesel cars finally know if their car is affected or not.

The New York motor show in April will see the announcement of which vehicle has won the 2014 World COTY, and there looks to be a tough -- and very varied -- field of finalists.Last year's winner was the Volkswagen Golf, which also took awards in pretty well every country on the globe. But this year it could be anything from the little electric BMW i3 to the offroading Jeep Cherokee and even the Citroen C4 peoplemover, judging by the shortlist.A panel of 69 motoring experts from around the world -- including Carsguide's Paul Gover and National Motoring Editor Joshua Dowling -- will choose the winner from: Audi A3, BMW 4 Series, BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Ford Fusion/Mondeo, Infiniti Q50, Jeep Cherokee, Lexus IS, Mazda3, Peugeot 308 and Skoda Octavia.The 10 finalists for the 2014 World Luxury Car are the Bentley Flying Spur, BMW X5, Cadillac ELR, Cadillac Escalade, Maserati Ghibli, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Porsche Macan, Range Rover Sport and Rolls-Royce Wraith.Due to a tie, there are 11 finalists for the 2014 World Performance Car: Alfa Romeo 4C, Audi RS 6 Avant, BMW M6 Gran Coupe, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Ferrari 458 Speciale, Ford Fiesta ST, Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster, Mercedes-Benz A/CLA45 AMG, Porsche 911 GT3, Porsche 911 Turbo and Volkswagen Golf GTI.A separate panel of five 'green' experts will choose the 2014 World Green Car from Audi A3 Sportback e-tron (+ Audi e-gas), BMW i3, Honda Accord Hybrid, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Volkswagen XL1.Similarly, a panel of five design experts will decide on the 2014 World Car Design of the Year, from among: BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Mazda3, Lexus IS, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Volkswagen XL1.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

To clear the decks for new Octavia stock on the way, Skoda has added a bundle of equipment to the Octavia 90TSI, dropped the price and added a sharp driveaway deal.The up-specced Skoda Octavia Special Edition rolls out $3,000 cheaper than the Octavia 90TSI it’s based on – and adds in a extra kit worth more than $5000.As well as the standard Octavia 90TSI features, the Special Edition comes with 16-inch alloy wheels, Columbus satellite navigation, eight-speaker audio, 30GB hard drive, dual-zone climate control and auto-rain sensing windscreen wipers. The wagon version also gets a silver roof rack.It is powered by the 1.4-litre, four cylinder engine that develops 90kW of power and 200Nm of torque, with fuel economy of  6.7-litres per 100kms. The Skoda Octavia Special Edition is available in both 6-speed manual and a 7-speed DSG Auto.The Octavia Special Edition goes on sale from June 1 at $21,990 for the manual liftback, and $23,690 for the manual wagon. The DSG automatic  is a $2,300 option. 

So it pains us to say that's literally the case with the next Octavia wagon.Bigger than the outgoing line, it looks too like it. 

It gets a total renewal early next year, built around Volkswagen Group's impressive MQB mechanical package.With the promise of everything from a bigger cabin to a major weight cut ahead of local sales in the third quarter.Here in October 2013 for around $25,000.

And it wasn’t done any favours by offering unusual looks and no automatic transmission. But Skoda is not giving up on it just yet. The little people mover has sold just 66 over the whole of 2008 and is lagging behind that sales level this year. “The numbers speak for themselves,” Skoda Australia head Matthew Wiesner admits. “We didn’t give it enough attention – probably through the fact that we had to focus on (medium-size passenger) Octavia to give us best cut-through and best return on investment. “Quite frankly, Roomster has suffered a bit because of that.” However Wiesner says that situation will change next year. “There will be a facelift in the new year – and some drivetrain changes and updates — which means we will then give Roomster the focus it requires, and give it the space to be a far better contribution to what we’ve been doing. Wiesner says that the Roomster has also been hampered by not having an automatic transmission. “Having it in manual only doesn’t help in the Australian market. People want an auto. “And it is a quirky design – you either love it or you don’t. “Is there a market for it? Yes, but it’s a niche market definitely. “But do you give up on it? No. Now that we’ve had a few focus groups, we now better understand who a Roomster owner is – and what they do and how. “They are very different to an Octavia buyer. We now don’t assume they will pick up on us as a brand by what we’re doing with Octavia, so we’ll start to target them specifically.” Wiesner says Skoda missed the mark in thinking there “might been some carryover between wagons, given what Roomster represents”. “But there is quite a distance even between a wagon buyer and somebody interested in Roomster – but their intentions, their motivations and interests are very different. “They are incredibly practical … we just need to be practical about how we talk to them. And we haven’t done that well yet. No question.”  

Fresh-faced and with stronger engines, the new car arrives here in September along with a new-look Scout wagon. The RS gets a contemporary look based on other models in the recently-released Octavia range. But it hits harder with a different valance, fog lights, body-coloured trim and LED tail lights. The punch is the choice of a 147kW direct petrol injection 2-litre turbo mated to either a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch or a six-speed manual transmission as Skoda moves closer to align drivetrains with parent Volkswagen. Optional is a 125kW 2-litre turbo-diesel with the same transmission choices. Skoda Australia boss Matthew Wiesner says the company's range in Australia is being tightened and adjusted to maximise appeal. Speaking from the Czech Republic, he admits there are gaps in the range. The Scout, which arrives in its new form in September, still has no automatic option. "But its coming," says Wiesner. "It's only available as a manual from the factory _ it is not sold anywhere as an automatic _ but we've been fighting for an auto on the basis that Australia is a special market that needs this option. "Finally, there's clarity in the issue and I'd expect a DSG version perhaps within 12 months." Modifying the Skoda line up has seen the workhorse 1.9-litre turbo-diesel dropped from the Octavia range. The replacement as the entry-level model is the 1.6-litre petrol-engined sedan at $26,990 _ a price Weisner says gives entry into a price segment usually occupied by small cars. Octavia models now come as a 1.6 and 1.8-litre petrol and the 2-litre 103kW turbo-diesel. The Roomster will be retained despite having a practically invisible road presence. "We're looking at some ideas with Roomster," Wiesner says. "It gets a face lift in mid-2010 and were prepared to persist because we see potential in this product. "It is possible that sales will increase when we get Yeti because they would complement each other," he says of the Skoda small SUV that's earmarked for Australia. Yeti will join the upmarket Superb saloon as new entrants. "Roomster is being bought by young people and retired people. It's very difficult to pinpoint it because its market is broad." Wiesner says the Yeti wasn't being considered as just another product line. Rather, it will give Skoda entry into a younger demographic of buyers. That would be assisted by the Yeti's two-wheel drive option _ it will come standard as an on-demand all-wheel drive _ that would offer the SUV package but at a reduced price. However, the 2WD could be seen as a future replacement for Roomster. Wiesner says the Volkswagen Group was holding up well on global markets and Skoda was part of that modest success. "Skoda has been helped in Europe because of the scrappage system which has helped new car sales, and also because of presence in China," he says. "We're in a better position than some because we are under exposed in places like the US and Japan." In Australia he says sales are steady, up 12 per cent for the year compared with the corresponding period in 2008. "Hopefully we're growing on a wave," he says.