Skoda reveals future model plans

Skoda will introduce five new cars by Christmas 2016, starting with the third-generation Fabia hatchback, which will be unveiled at this October’s Paris motor show, and finishing with a seven-seat SUV to sit above the big-selling Yeti.

There will also be a new Fabia Estate in early 2015, and hatchback and estate versions of an all-new Skoda Superb later that year.

The new models are part of a plan to lift Skoda’s annual sales to more than 1.5 million by 2018, up from 921,000 last year.

Skoda is also considering adding a third SUV to its line-up: either a small, front-wheel-drive model to compete with the Nissan Juke and Renault Captur, or a sleeker, sportier car in the mould of the Range Rover Evoque and BMW X4. The latter is said to be more likely to make production and would be considerably cheaper than its premium-badged competition.

 The more practical SUV that comes first will be priced to compete with Korean rivals such as the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento, which means it’s likely to start at just under £30,000.

Senior Skoda sources say that it will be offered as both a front- and four-wheel-drive car, with the latter model delivering good off-road and towing ability. It will have five seats as standard, but two extra seats that can be folded flat when they’re not needed will be available as an option.

Skoda is also promising that all of its cars will look more dynamic in the future, and with this in mind it has made the new Fabia lower and wider than its predecessor, but no longer.

The diesel versions of the new Fabia will all emit less than 95g/km of CO2, making them exempt from road tax, while the petrols will pump out less than 110g/km and average more than 55mpg.

As with the current car, Skoda will offer a special Monte Carlo version of the new Fabia, with sportier looks but no more power. The idea is to attract young drivers who want the extra style but can’t afford to insure a genuinely sporty model.

^{Future Skodas will borrow from the Vision C concept}

Like the Fabia, the new Superb will be wider and sleeker than its predecessor to make it look more dramatic. Its design is said to take inspiration from the Vision C concept that Skoda showed at this year’s Geneva motor show. But our sources say that the new car will also be even more spacious than the current one.

The new Superb will have a conventional hatchback-style boot opening instead of the current car’s twin-opening boot, which can be opened like a saloon car’s or a hatchback’s.

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