Skoda Superb News

The charge will be led by the Fabia small car range and the Yeti compact SUV, with both aiming to provide an entry-point for the Czech range as well as its VW parent when launched at the Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne mid-year. The Fabia small-car range will kick off with a hatchback model in manual petrol form - using the 77kW TSI engine - as well as a Monte Carlo model, with DSG and wagon models to follow later in the year. A hot RS variant - with 132kW and only a DSG transmission - is also set for touchdown before the end of 2011. The Yeti compact SUV will be the second star for Melbourne, with both two and four-wheel drive versions on the list of vehicles Skoda hopes will bring in younger buyers, with an emphasis on tapping the female side of the market. Local Skoda brand boss Matthew Wiesner says the two small vehicles will be price-competitive in the two fast-growing segments and have buyer appeal. "The Yeti will have very broad appeal, the whole segment is evolving with 2WD and 4WD, there's a strong younger buyer part to that 2WD segment," he says. "The Fabia - hatch, wagon, Monte Carlo and RS - offers a mix of vehicles for younger buyers, the wagon will get some older buyers in as well," Mr Wiesner says. The Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne will see these two debut, as well as the Skoda brand's new-look logo and refreshed brand personality first seen at the recent Geneva motor show. Mr Wiesner is aiming to double the Skoda sales figure of 1632 (a 31 per cent improvement on 2009) for 2010 this year, with 2012 expected to double that already-lofty 2011 target. "We will go close to doubling our 2010 volumes this year, and again doubling that effort for 2012" he says. Mr Wiesner says the brand's representatives in the larger segments are hamstrung by supply that's well short of demand - the Superb flagship will be expanded the front and all-wheel drive offerings for the large car range. "We'll be adding the 103 TDI drivetrain that's in the new Scout to the Superb range." The Octavia Scout could also have another engine on offer - "We'll see how it goes, a petrol TSI engine would be nice if and when it becomes available, there's still a significant petrol market there," he says.

In fact, it's better than just plain good.  The Czech wagon is cavernous inside, is incredibly flexible, good to drive, well up on safety and ideal for family work. It also has the sort of thoughtful touches - an umbrella tucked into the back door and a clip-out torch in the boot - that will bring people back and have them bragging to their friends. A starting price of $40,990 makes the Czech car a wonderful deal, and even the fully-loaded Elegance turbodiesel lists for less than $50,000. The only negatives for the Superb are the unproven Skoda brand - which is still struggling for traction in Australia, even though it's part of the quality Volkswagen Group - and a driving experience which is a touch down on the class standard. More on Carsguide Car of the Year 2010

In fact, it's better than just plain good. The Czech wagon is cavernous inside, is incredibly flexible, good to drive, well up on safety and ideal for family work.It also has the sort of thoughtful touches - an umbrella tucked into the back door and a clip-out torch in the boot - that will bring people back and have them bragging to their friends.A starting price of $40,990 makes the Czech car a wonderful deal, and even the fully-loaded Elegance turbodiesel lists for less than $50,000.The only negatives for the Superb are the unproven Skoda brand - which is still struggling for traction in Australia, even though it's part of the quality Volkswagen Group - and a driving experience which is a touch down on the class standard.Skoda Superb wagon: review

Three newcomers a week is way beyond the normal rate, even in a car world where 100-plus newcomers - everything from a facelift tweak to a full body change - hit showrooms each year.  Things were a bit quiet through March and April, but when the calendar flicked across to May the ships started landing with fresh new metal to tantalise anyone with a taste for something new in the driveway.Everyone in the car business knows fresh metal is the best way to lure buyers into showrooms and, with demand running at near-record levels, the conversion rate right now is massive.Hyundai is doing huge business and this week it has the successor to the Sonata - now with a trendoid i45 badge on the boot to try and break the dowdy Sonata pattern - with the tiny Euro-focus i20 in June.  We are also getting a first serious look at the Toyota Rukus, the first move in a plan to win Gen-Y buyers to the world's biggest brand, and Skoda has the station wagon stretch on its latest Superb.  Did I mention we're also having a first fang in the Porsche 911 GT3 RS at Phillip Island this week?The real problem with so much new stuff is finding the space inside a weekly Carsguide. In today's edition we still have to clear the impressive new Suzuki Kizashi and the classy BMW 5 Series before we can move on to the next round.  The other good news is that the cars we are seeing are all potential contenders for the Carsguide Car of the Year award.The Volkswagen Polo has already set the bar but the Kizashi will make the finals and so should the 5 Series. Later in the year we know Holden will have a VE Series II with star potential, Benz is about to uncork its Gullwing SLS, and the Jaguar XJ will arrive to take the British brand in a new direction.And that 911 RS? Not a COTY contender, but only because it is far too narrow focussed with a scorecard that reads 100 per cent for thrills and pace but closer to zero for value and people carrying potential.Follow Paul Gover on Twitter!

Car companies are about to be put to the test in the Global Green Challenge and Carsguide is going along for the ride. There are two key buzz words in today's world of clean, green motoring: more and less.Car buyers, pricked by an environmental consciousness, are driving demand for better efficiency to reduce the impact on their wallet and less emissions to reduce the impact on the environment.And there's an added caveat to this quest for green sustainability: it has to be affordable without robbing the family car of performance or driveability.Welcome to the challenge facing car designers as they chase motoring's holy grail — producing a workable, green friendly car for the future. A bookmark of just where the industry is at will be on display at the end of the month when the Eco Challenge for production cars, run in conjunction with this year's Global Green Challenge, sets out from Darwin on October 24 and heads south to Adelaide.It will be real-world 3000 kilometre reality check, albeit most of the driving will be on highways, to show buyers what more-for-less cars are available now, or the near future.This week car companies have been jostling as they line up for the starting grid — some have still to fully show their hand but organisers say 21 cars are expected to contest the Eco Challenge while a further 38 dedicated solar-powered cars will also follow the same route the following day in their own race.This year's production car field is an eclectic mix.Hyundai Hyundai is using the Global Challenge to launch its 2010 Santa Fe wagon, promising more power and reduced fuel consumption which will attract caravan owners looking for an alternative to heavier 4WDs.Hyundai's Team R has entered two Santa Fes, one of which will be driven by CarsGuide. The wagon gets Hyundai's new R turbo diesel and a new six-speed manual transmission along with a recalibrated suspension and steering package for our tougher road conditions. A six-speed automatic will be optional. The Santa Fe goes on sale at the end of the year.Skoda Skoda will use the event to showcase its new flagship, the Superb saloon. Skoda says the 2-litre direct injection turbo diesel is capable of 5.4l/100km on the highway, meaning you can marry luxury with economy.Suzuki will use the event to showcase the ability of the tiny Alto, which the carmaker claims can travel 100 kilometres on just 3.5 litres of precious fuel on the highway. Tests in India have already shown it can do better at 3l/100km.The car is being kept on the road by a team of apprentice automotive engineers from the Melbourne's Kangan Batman TAFE college.Holden Holden and Ford will be fighting each other in the Challenge. Holden had been tipped to show of a Commodore, which like Saab, can run on 85 per cent ethanol, or a diesel, but the General will instead showcase its recently launched 3-litre Omega Sportwagon, fitted with the new SIDI (Spark Ignition Direct Injection) engine and six-speed automatic transmission.Holden won't reveal what fuel economy goal it is aiming for but it maintains the SIDI is now the most fuel efficient Aussie-built six-cylinder in the market. Holden says the engine, rated at 9.3l/10km is 13 per cent more fuel efficient than the previous motor at 10.7l/10km.Ford Ford will come out fighting with an XR6 Turbo and a Fiesta Econetic which will be launched in November and has the potential to run at 3.7l/100km. Again, Ford won’t talk about economy goals.BMW BMW is another keeping its cards close to its chest until closer to race. It will have a fleet of three diesel Mini Ds, one of which is will be driven by former Le Mans winner Vern Schuppan. The 1.6-litre Mini diesel is capable of 3.9l/100km combined and 3.5l/100km on the highway.Tesla While all eyes will be on the known brands, one entry which will likely steal the limelight will be the all electric Tesla roadster — the world's first production all-electric car which is being entered by broadband company Internode.The company's managing director Simon Hackett imported the first car to Australia recently.Kia Kia has entered two LPG electric hybrid Fortes, which have a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine mated to a small electric motor and lithium-polymer batteries — a first for a mass-production small automatic car. Kia says it can return 5.6l/100km.Based on the Cerato, the Kia Forte has the potential to make it to the Australian market next year for less than $30,000. Based on the Cerato The Forte was launched in South Korea in August and displayed at the Frankfurt Motor Show last month.NON-PRODUCTION AND EXPERIMENTAL CARS Independent team Deep Green Research has come to the party with an electric Honda.Students from South Australia's Annesley College have built a petrol/electric hybrid Holden Viva. The all-girl Annesley team has taken part in previous solar challenges but this is the first time they have entered the production car class. The students will be driving the car on the 3000km journey.Research and development company Intex is entering a four-cylinder petrol Ford Spectron Van with a retrofit hybrid system that converts the drivetrain to a plug-in hybrid electric.Absent This year Toyota is a notable non-starter after impressing in 2007 with its Prius.And there has been a late scratching with Volvo confirming it was withdrawn its two C30 DRIVe hatchbacks because they are stuck on a ship from Europe, a victim of stormy weather in the Atlantic. Volvo had high expectations for the 1.6-litre diesel which sips a claimed 3.8l/100km. The eco hatch will now be launched in Australia early next year. 

... cleverly converts from a normal boot to a hatchback for huge practicality. But it’s about to be gazumphed by the newest variant for the line-up: the Superb Combi estate (Euro currency for station wagon). And it’s not just the practicality that puts the Combi at the front of the Superb line, it’s also the looks.Admittedly it’s competing from a fairly low base, but the conservative styling of the sedan is put squarely in the shade by the sweeping sportback line of the wagon.It’s a big vehicle – 4.8m long, 1.8m wide and 1.5m high – and that translates to a large amount of cargo capacity: 633 litres that balloons to 1865 litres with the seats folded down. That’s large enough to be shadowing Holden’s Commodore Sportwagon. It also means a sense of space when you’re inside, helped on the show car at Frankfurt by the optional two-piece powered sunroof.It lets a massive amount of light into the Combi, but unfortunately for Down Under it will also let in a fair bit of sun, because there’s no solid blind, just the mesh one that is becoming as much of an epidemic as sun cancer.Also on the options list is a power-controlled tailgate, that like the slide-out floor is designed to make loading easier over the low edge. The Combi was launched in Frankfurt with the same engine list as the sedan — 92kW/1.4-litre and 118kW/1.8-litre turbo plus a 191kW/3.6-litre V6 for petrol, and two 2.0-litre turbodiesels developing 103kW and 125kW.Skoda Australia boss Matthew Wiesner says the spec levels will probably be identical to the sedan in Australia. “We’re going to try and keep the spec consistent with the sedan — we’ve got pretty good spec across the two levels,” he says.Wiesner is expecting to see the Combi here in the second quarter of next year, with hopefully only a small increase over the sedan. He won’t talk about numbers, but says that the Combi will probably parallel the wagon in the Octavia line-up with about 40-45 per cent of sales, surfing on the wave of movement away from large SUVs.“There’s a trend towards this sort of car,” Wiesner says. “People are getting out of SUVs. And now wagons look much better than they did in the past.”And in some cases better than the sedan they’re derived from.Read more stories from the Frankfurt Motor ShowMake One Degree of difference today by calculating your carbon footprint and finding out what you can do to reduce it.

The Frankfurt Motor Show literally roared to life this morning when a classic BMW 507 roadster ran laps of a custom-built oval track inside the German carmaker's $30 million stand.

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.” 

The Czech Republic's Skoda brand will return to Australia in October.But you can forget those clunky yet sturdy Eastern European Skodas of the Cold War period.The new Skoda is owned by Volkswagen and with the disciplined German parent comes Teutonic know-how, engineering and quality standards.In Australia, the new-look brand will be distributed by Volkswagen Group Australia, after its debut at the Sydney Motor Show.Sales will kick off with the mid-size front-wheel-drive Octavia sedan and wagon and a funky-looking five-door wagon-cum-people mover called the Roomster, both built at a modern plant at Mlada Boleslav near Prague.Topping the range will be the high-performance 147kW, 2-litre FSI turbocharged Octavia RS.The line-up will be fleshed out next year with the VW Polo-sized Fabia, which has just been revealed at the Geneva Motor Show.By early 2009, the next-generation version of its long-wheelbase Superb sedan should be available.Skoda's key selling point will be prices, expected to start from about $16,000 for the Fabia, up to the mid-$40,000s for the Superb.Though it uses VW engines and components, being built in low-cost Eastern Europe means Skodas are 5 to 8 per cent cheaper, yet bigger, than their equivalent Volkswagen models.Volkswagen Group Australia executives believe this makes them particularly appealing for cost-conscious Australian buyers who hanker for a European car.Originally, Skoda chairman and chief executive officer Detlef Wittig had hoped to get the brand into Australia last year, but pricing and local identity issues delayed the plans.Now these hurdles have been cleared, the company is moving ahead quickly.Volkswagen Group Australia general manager, press and public relations, Matthew Wiesner has been appointed head of Skoda Australia and it's his job to relaunch the brand.At first the Octavia and Roomster will be sold through 15 existing VW dealerships.Wiesner emphasised that Skoda and VW would be distinct, even more so than BMW, which sells its Mini brand through associated dealers."You won't see shared Volkswagen-Skoda showrooms. We've got to give them more separation," he says."Obviously we need to protect what we've done with Volkswagen, but at the same time grow the Skoda branding."Eventually up to half of VW's 56 dealers nationally could sell Skodas."By the end of 2008 we'd like to have about 25 dealers," he says."The regional-rural side of the business will be very important, particularly with Skoda's turbo-diesel line-up."With VW's well-developed network and highly trained technicians, servicing and logistics should not be a problem.Wiesner is mindful that the company's lack of profile will need to be addressed. Skodas have not been sold here for almost 25 years."We've got to be creative about how we sell the Skoda message. We need to reasonably clever in how we go about it," he says."It's a pretty congested market, so we have to come up with a reasonable answer to the question of why you would consider a Skoda."He is not about to spill the beans about just what he has in mind, at least until the cars go on sale in October.He is also aware of other brands such as Renault, which has struggled to regain ground in our market when re-launching in 2001 after being popular here in the 1970s.The French company has poured millions into Australia over the past six years trying to get traction for its products.Australia is one of the most congested new car markets in the world, a fact that Wiesner is acutely aware of.He describes himself as "cautious but optimistic" about Skoda.Today there are 41 different passenger car brands seeking a slice of the sales pie and Skoda must find its place in an ultra-competitive market.Ultimately, too, if the Czech is a success it could cannibalise VW sales.`Yes, we have to be mindful of that," Wiesner says. "That's why it has taken such a long time to put this together."We need to be very careful how we approach both marques, because there's no point robbing Peter to pay Paul."You get one opportunity to do it properly."Wiesner conceded that positioning Skoda and not sacrificing VW sales was one of the hardest aspects of developing the new business.Ultimately, the spin doctors, through print and television advertising, will be working overtime to tell consumers that each brand is distinct."We're hoping the Skoda buyer will be an aspirational European buyer who might not have been able to stretch themselves before," Wiesner says."They might always have been Japanese buyers who have aspired to Europe and hopefully we'll give them that opportunity."Last year VW Group Australia had a stellar year, selling more than 20,000 vehicles, so the arrival of Skoda presents a real threat to VW's continuing local growth.Apart from Skoda, Fiat and Dodge are recent returns and the prospect of China-sourced cars arriving soon courtesy of Ateco Automotive will add further sales congestion.Nor is the Skoda boss prepared to predict sales forecasts, saying only that the Skodas would be good value."Volume is important, of course, but we're here for the long haul, so that's something we see as a long-term challenge," he says."We don't want to place any unwarranted expectations on the brand."But we do have to make sure it is accepted in the market place."Skoda's rise in Europe is a result of the crumbling of the old Eastern bloc countries.I N 1991 it came in from the cold when Volkswagen AG bought 30 per cent of shares in a newly established joint-venture company.Later, it increased its holding to 70 per cent and in 2000, bought the remaining shares to assume 100 per cent ownership.Today Skoda sells cars in more than 90 countries, has plants in seven countries and employs more than 27,000 people.Last year it sold 549,667 vehicles, an increase of more than 11 per cent over the previous year, a sales record for the brand.The Octavia was the highest-selling model worldwide at 270,274, outselling the Fabia's 243,982.From its humble origins, the Czech carmaker has embraced the capitalist West and will soon embrace Australia. HERE IS THE COMING LINE-UPFABIATHIS VW Polo-sized light car borrows visual cues from the Mini Cooper and Suzuki Swift.Launched at last year's Paris Motor Show, it offers ultra-frugal, three-cylinder, High Torque Performance (HTP) petrol and TDI engines, as well as a 16-valve, 63kW, 1.4-litre and 77kW, 1.6-litre petrol models. The 1.6-litre is offered with a six-speed tiptronic automatic. The 1.4 and 1.6 petrol units are likely to come to Australia.At 3992mm long and with a wheelbase of 2462mm, the Fabia is just 76mm longer overall and sits on a 3mm longer wheelbase than the Polo. It also has 300 litres of luggage space.Among the car's features in Europe are six airbags, climate control airconditioning and active headlights. But Australia is unlikely to see this level of equipment.PRICE: From about $16,000 OCTAVIAPEOPLE familiar with the VW Passat recognise the Octavia.Like the Passat, this mid-size offering is available as a front-wheel-drive sedan and wagon and will be aimed squarely at the premium-priced Japanese models such as the Mazda6, Honda Accord Euro, Subaru Liberty and soon-to-be Ford Mondeo.In Europe, an all-wheel-drive wagon using a Haldex system is also available.The three-model line-up consists of the entry Classic, mid-range Ambiente and luxury Elegance. A high-performance RS model is also sold.The Octavia is powered by a range of petrol and turbo-diesel engines ranging in size from a 110kW, 2-litre FSI up to a 125kW, 2-litre TDI and a 147kW, 2-litre FSI four-cylinder in the RS. In Europe a 1.9-litre TDi is also sold, alongside a 55kW, 1.4-litre and 75kW, 1.6-litre four-cylinder.There is even a 1.4-litre model available.Five and six-speed manual transmissions are available along with a six-speed VW-sourced DSG manual.PRICE: From about $30,000 SUPERBTHE Superb is essentially a long-wheelbase version of the Octavia pitched into the higher end of the market.Offering extra legroom in the back and plenty of leather and luxury, the Superb uses the Passat's older 142kW, 2.8-litre V6 petrol and 120kW, 2.5-litre six-cylinder TDI engines, both available with a tiptronic five-speed automatic.Apart from the sixes, the long-wheelbase sedan is also available in Europe with a 110kW, turbocharged 1.8-litre and a naturally aspirated 85kW, 2-litre four.Apart from the petrol engines, European models also offer 1.2 to 1.6-litre petrol and 1.4 and 1.9-litre diesels, though these are unlikely for Australia.PRICE: About $45,000 ROOMSTERTHE Roomster started out as a funky concept car at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show and a production version was unveiled last year.Distinguished by its high-set, van-like styling, it is a versatile, five-door mini people mover similar in concept to the VW Caddy that can easily be converted from a five-seater into a load-lugging two-seater.The Roomster Scout adds plastic-cladding around the body to give it an off-road look, though the car remains front-wheel drive.As with the Fabia, there is a choice of petrol and turbo-diesel engines from 1.2-litre, 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre petrol engines, as well as frugal 1.4 and 1.9 TDI engines.PRICE: From about $27,000