Showing posts with label Skoda. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Skoda. Show all posts

Paris Preshow: Skoda's All-Electric Octavia Green E Line


[Updated] This year's edition of the Paris show will see the VW Group's successful Skoda brand unveiling its first-ever electric-powered vehicle called the Octavia Green E Line. Skoda says it is planning to create a special test fleet of Octavias Green E Line in 2011 with the goal of obtaining additional information relevant to the further development of the electric drive.

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Skoda Introduces New 1.6 TDI to Superb Range


The VW Group's new 1.6 TDI turbo diesel is making its way to the options lists of the European market Skoda Superb saloon and Estate / Combi (station wagon) models, where it will replace the 1.9 TDI.

While the smaller displacement 1.6-liter four-cylinder diesel unit produces the same output figures as the 1.9 TDI with 105-horsepower and 250Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque, it promises to offer improved diesel mileage and lower CO2 emissions.

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New Skoda Fabia Estate Greenline with 83.1mpg and 89g/km of CO2 Priced at £13,740 in the UK


The most environmentally friendly Skoda model to date, the new Fabia Estate Greenline II, goes on sale in the UK in the beginning of July with pricing set at £13,740.

The second generation Greenline models is powered by the VW Group's new three-cylinder turbocharged 1.2-liter common rail turbo diesel engine with 75-horsepower. To help improve fuel economy and reduce CO2 emissions, the Greenline model also gets start & stop technology, a kinetic energy system for battery recharging, gear recommendation system, lowered and aerodynamically-covered chassis and low-rolling resistance tires.

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Volkswagen Group to Build New Factory in Foshan, China


The Volkswagen Group announced on Wednesday plans to expand its production capacities in China with the construction of a new automotive plant in at Foshan, in the Southern Chinese region of Guangdong. The new production facility will have the capacity to assemble 300,000 vehicles annually and will begin operations in mid-2013.

"China has become the Volkswagen Group's largest and most important sales market. We intend to continue above-average growth side by side with our partners. With our unprecedented investment program, we intend to double our capacities in China to three million vehicles per year by 2013/14," said VW boss, Martin Winterkorn.

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Skoda Launches Race-Package for Facelifted Fabia Hatch


Shortly after the announcement on the release of the Seat Ibiza SC Sport-Limited edition (see here), Skoda's German arm went ahead and announced the launch of a similar sport kit named "Race Package" for its recently facelifted Fabia hatchback.

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New Skoda Superb Fastback Design Concept


With Volkswagen and Audi both featuring what marketers and advertising agencies like to call "four-door coupe" models in their range (the Passat CC and A5 Sportback respectively), one wonders why the German group hasn't added a similar model to their more mainstream brands, Seat and Skoda.

Czech architect and designer Pavel Hrubyi decided to take matters in his own hands (or so to speak) and draw a four-door coupe, sportback, fastback or whatever else you would like to call it, proposal for the Skoda brand based on the firm's range-topping Superb saloon.

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Volkswagen Group to Buy Italdesign Giugiaro?


Volkswagen's master plan is all about numbers. Being the biggest, baddest automaker out there. That's why it isn't any surprise to hear that Volkswagen might be bringing Italdesign Giugiaro under its wing (nothing is official yet).

An acquisition would be another major part of VW's world takeover scheme, assisting with the goal selling 10 million vehicles in 2018. Its ten brands intend to release sixty new or updated models this year, so more designers and engineers are needed.

Now is far from the first time that VW and Giugiaro have worked together. The Italian design house has helped create a variety of cars for those aforementioned ten brands.

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Skoda Launches Spicy Fabia vRS Models in the UK


Skoda has confirmed prices and specifications for the new Fabia vRS models (simply RS for the rest of Europe) that will be officially launched in the UK on Thursday, 29 July, 2010.

Available as five-door hatchback and for the first time as an estate with prices set at £15,700 and £16,495 respectively, both Fabia vRS models are powered by a 1.4-liter twin-supercharged four-cylinder petrol engine linked to a 7-speed DSG transmission with paddle-shifters.

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The Girls of the 2010 Wörthersee GTI-Fest


From what we gather, most of you seem to enjoy photos of young ladies posing in front of cars, so we assembled a gallery of some of these "booth babes" to give you a taste of what the brands of the VW Group had in store for those that attended this year's edition of the Wörthersee GTI festival in Austria. Follow the jump to check out the photos, most of which are wallpaper sized when clicked.

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Skoda: Powertrain Updates for 2011MY Octavia, Yeti and Superb


European market Skoda models Yeti, Octavia and Superb will be getting powertrain updates for the 2011 model year starting from the end of this month. In detail:

The engine portfolio for the Yeti crossover has been extended with the VW Group's 122HP 1.4-liter TSI petrol unit combined with manual transmission and front-wheel drive (FWD), as well as a 140HP 2.0 TDI CR DPF turbo diesel with automatic DSG transmission and FWD, and the more potent 170HP 2.0 TDI CR DPF turbo diesel with manual transmission and 4WD.


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Skoda Unveils Eco-Friendly Greenline Versions of Facelifted Fabia and Roomster


Following on from the launch of the refreshed Fabia and Roomster models at Geneva Motor Show this past March, Skoda has now released the environmentally-friendly GreenLine versions of the two models.

Leaving aside the subtle aesthetic changes that are the same as on the standard Fabia hatch and Roomster MPV, the most important innovation on both GreenLine II models concerns the introduction of the VW Group's new 1.2-liter three-cylinder supercharged diesel engine that produces 75-horsepower.

The new diesel unit is linked to a five-speed manual gearbox with identical ratios as the one fitted on the ordinary Fabia and Roomster models with the same engine.

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Skoda to Bring Special Fabia RS+ and Octavia RS+ at Wörthersee Meeting


The VW Group will be going full force at next week's GTI tuning event at the Austrian lake Wörthersee. Aside from the two special VW Golf GTIs and seven Audi A1s, the German group will also showcase conceptual versions of the new Fabia RS and the Octavia RS.

Inspired by the S2000 rally model, the Fabia RS+ design study will be wrapped in a two-tone vinyl with matching green alloy wheels. The hot hatch will also feature an aero kit that includes a new bonnet with air vents, front spoiler, side skirts and a rear diffuser, as well as an updated interior boasting bucket seats and a sportier trim.

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Skoda Begins Full Production of Fabia in Russia


The facelifted version of the Fabia supermini has become the second model in the Skoda range after the Octavia to enter full-cycle production at the VW Group's Kaluga plant in Russia, the automaker announced today. Full-cycle production includes welding and painting.

The Volkswagen Group opened the factory in Kaluga in November 2007, and its planned capacity is 150,000 cars a year.

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Photo Gallery from VW Group's Pre-Show Event in Geneva


The VW Group threw a special party in Geneva for all its automotive brands the night before the opening of the Swiss international motor show. Those that attended the event had the chance to check out some of the many debuts planned for the Geneva Salon that runs for the public from March 4 to 14.

Among the cars on show were Porsche's 918 Spyder Concept, Bentley's Continental Supersports Cabrio, the Seat IBE Coupe concept, Skoda's Fabia RS, the Audi A1, Lamborghini Gallardo SV, VW's Sharan MPV and Amarok pickup truck and the Bugatti 16C Galibier that's pegged to enter production in the near future. Hit the break to for the complete photo gallery.

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Czechmate: New Skoda Fabia RS with 1.4 TSI 180HP in both Hatchback and Estate Forms Head to Geneva


The latest generation of Skoda cars are -rightfully, in our opinion- considered by most consumers as budget-priced Volkswagens under disguise, a notion that has helped the Czech automaker go from post-Communist joke to a global success story. Their newest "VW Group Transformer" is the 2010 Fabia RS that will make its world debut at this week's Geneva Motor Show

The sportiest version of the Fabia range shares a common platform as well as its engine, transmission and other hidden hardware with the VW Polo GTI and Seat Ibiza Cupra models (and certain parts with the Audi A1...).

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Skoda Facelifts Fabia and Roomster Models, Adds New Gasoline and Diesel Engines


At next week's Geneva Motor Show, Skoda will lift the wraps off the refreshed Fabia hatchback and Combi station wagon models as well as their MPV-esque sibling, the Roomster.

All three models benefit from some minor cosmetic tweaks up front that include a restyled grille, a new bumper design and revised headlights. The new alloy wheel and hub cap designs along with the expanded palette of exterior finishes round off the exterior changes.

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Skoda Superb Range Enhanced with More Fuel Efficient and Cleaner 2.0 Turbo Diesel


A revised 2.0-liter turbo diesel engine that incorporates the latest Common Rail diesel technology and produces 140 horsepower is replacing the 2.0 TDI of the same output in the Skoda Superb saloon and Combi models.

The Volkswagen Group's Czech brand said that with the new engine, combined fuel consumption for the Superb 2.0 TDI CR has improved by 4.4mpg to 52.3mpg UK (5.4 lt/100km or 43.5mpg US), while CO2 emissions have been reduced by 12g/km to 143g/km.

At least in what concerns the UK market, these improvements have been made without affecting the Superb's price, which starts from £18,205.

The new Superb 2.0 TDI CR 140HP is available for order in Britain from 18th February with a choice of six-speed manual or twin-clutch DSG transmissions, in hatchback or estate bodystyles and in S, SE or Elegance trim.

The latest diesel engine option joins the existing 1.9 TDI PD 105HP and 2.0 TDI CR 170HP diesel engines that are offered in the Superb line-up.






Skoda Expands Octavia Range with New 1.2-Liter Turbo Petrol, Adds DSG Option to 1.6 TDI


The refreshed Octavia, which is essentially Skoda's (better) take on the VW Jetta, has received new engine and transmission options for 2010. In particular, both the liftback and estate versions are now offered with a new, downsized 1.2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder TSI gasoline engine with direct-injection while the 1.6 TDI CR 105HP diesel models can now be equipped with the VW Group's DSG dual-clutch transmission.

The 1.2-liter TSI produces 105 horsepower and can be matted to either a six-speed manual gearbox or a 7-speed DSG dual clutch transmission.

It propels the hatch from zero to 62mph (100km/h) in 10.8 seconds (Estate: 10.9 seconds) while returning a combined fuel economy of 49.6mpg UK, which is equal to 41.3mpg US and 5.7 lt/100km (Estate: 48.6mpg UK).

In the UK, prices for the Octavia 1.2 TSI start from £12,935 for the liftback and from £13,835 for the Estate.

At the same time, Skoda added the option of a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox to the latest generation 1.6-liter turbo diesel with 105HP. The DSG is available with the same bodystyle and trim combinations as the 1.2 TSI (S and SE) as well as in Elegance guise. Prices for the 1.6 TDI DSG models start from £16,495 for the hatch and from £17,395 for the Estate.



Skoda Plant to Produce VW Group's New 1.2 TSI Turbo Petrol Engine

In celebration of the 110th anniversary of engine building at its Mladá Boleslav plant in the Czech Republic, Skoda has announced that it will manufacture the VW Group's latest generation 1.2-liter TSI gasoline engine. The new four-cylinder power unit features both direct fuel injection and turbocharging technology delivering an output of 105HP at 5,000 rpm and 175Nm (129 lb-ft) of peak torque available between 1,500 and 3,500 rpm.

It can be combined with either a six-speed manual transmission or the VW Group's 7-speed dual-clutch DSG transmission.

"This brand new TSI engine provides a unique opportunity of combining environmental friendliness with a well-balanced driving performance," says Skoda Auto BOD Chairman Reinhard Jung. "With substantially lower CO2 figures, this new engine needs to be seen as a contribution to a significant reduction of average emission volumes in our cars."

The new powerplant makes its Skoda debut in the new Yeti compact SUV, and is also offered in various Audi, Volkswagen and Seat vehicles.





Would You Believe that this Skoda Octavia RS Photo has More than 3,400 Diggs in Less than 48 hours?

Sometimes we begin to wonder if there's any logic at what makes internet users 'click'. Take this photo for example. You'd think that it wouldn't be worth a second look, but believe it or not, this cropped picture of a red-colored Skoda Octavia RS Mk1 has received more than 3,400 votes on Digg (so far, that is) in less than 48 hours! And like most of you that are reading this post now, we too were curious to find out what makes this photo so special to draw the attention of so many internet users.

Well, to answer that question we headed over to the comment section of the specific Digg post. While some commentators "saw" a snake and others a... toilet seat at the rear bench, what really made internet users 'tick' in this case was the bear sticker on the window as it was linked to the so-called "Pedobear" which in turn is associated with pedophiles - swear to God, first time we ever heard about this.

Not surprisingly, to most folks that explanation sounds a lot better than let's say, the owner's kid simply put the sticker on the window...

But as one user on Digg wisely put it, "It's amazing how easily people are amused these days...". Nuff said.

Via: Digg , Photo: Imageshack