Skoda Posts Record-Breaking Sales for 2014

As it turns out, 2014 has been a huge year for Skoda, as they managed to sell more than 1 million cars for the first time over the course of a year.

Specifically, they sold no fewer than 1,037,200 vehicles (up by 12.7% compared to 2013), while also achieving record financial results, with sales revenue increasing by 13.8% to 11.8 billion euros and operating profit increasing by a massive 56.5% to 817 million euros.

Skoda's CEO, Prof.Dr Winfried Vahland said that "By delivering more than one million vehicles for the first time in a single year, we have sustainably established ourselves as a volume manufacturer on the international markets with our modern model range. It is on this basis that our brand will be perusing our growth strategy."

It's also great news for those who were hoping to see more from Skoda than just a lower-budget alternative to owning a VW.

As for this year, Skoda sales had already risen by 7.9% by the end of last month (when compared to Jan-Feb 2014). And at 163,000 sold over the first two months of the year, its also a new record for the Czech manufacturer.

Even though 2015 will definitely be marked by the arrival of the all-new Superb, Skoda will also be releasing a few other versions of their current model lineup such as the Skoda Octavia RS 230, the Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo and other 'Edition' models for Fabia, Rapid, Octavia and Yeti.

Skoda also plans to increase their sales to at least 1.5 million cars within the next few years - which isn't at all far fetched considering the fact that they've already crossed the million mark and they're expanding their production plants both in the Czech Republic as well as across the world.

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New Octavia Combi 4x4

Following the world premiere of the new Octavia Combi at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, Skoda has released information about the 4x4 variants of its station wagon that are now fitted with an updated AWD system featuring the latest-generation Haldex 5 clutch.

Of the 124,500 Skoda Octavia estates sold last year in Europe, almost 20 percent were all-wheel drive versions, with the ratio being even higher in Scandinavian and Alpine countries (61 percent in Norway, 55 percent in Switzerland).

The upgraded all-wheel drive system has an intelligent distribution of torque between both axles and individual wheels. Under normal driving conditions, most of the power will go to the front axle. As soon as more torque is required or the wheels need more grip, the rear wheels are seamlessly activated. The Octavia Combi 4x4 also comes with a standard EDL (Electronic Differential Lock) which acts as a transversal lock allowing for stable starting-off on surfaces with uneven grip.

The Octavia Combi 4x4 is offered with a choice of three engines, one petrol and two diesels. The 180PS (177hp) 1.8 TSI petrol is the most powerful, with the base engine being the 105PS (103hp) 1.6 TDI diesel. There’s also the more powerful 150PS (147hp) 2.0 TDI on offer. All three versions come with start-stop and an energy recuperation system as standard. Skoda says fuel economy and emission figures have been improved by an average of 14 percent over the preceding model.

Combined with a six-speed manual gearbox, the 1.6 TDI averages 4.5 l/100 km (52.2 US mpg) and emits 119 g of CO2/km, while the 2.0 TDI has a combined fuel consumption of 4.9 l/100 km (48 US mpg) and CO2 emissions of 124 g/km.

The gasoline 1.8 TSI, available exclusively with an automatic six-speed DSG dual-clutch transmission, averages 6.7 l/100 km (35.1 US mpg) and emits 156 g of CO2/km. It is, however, the fastest, with 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) taking 7.5 seconds, while topping out at 227 km/h (141 mph).

Sales of the Octavia Combi 4x4 will begin in Europe in June, a month after the launch of the front-wheel drive model.

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2013 Skoda Octavia III

The 2013 Octavia is the first Skoda model to make use of the VW Group's new and lighter MQB platform that underpins several other compact cars, most notably the VW Golf Mk7 and the latest Audi A3 hatchbacks.

Compared to the model it replaces, the new Octavia is 90mm longer at 4,659mm, 45mm wider at 1,814mm, and more importantly, the wheelbase has been stretched by 108mm to 2,686mm, something that mainly benefits the interior and space on the rear seats.

As a result, front head room has increased by 8 mm, front elbow width by 39 mm and rear elbow width by 26 mm over the outgoing Octavia. According to Skoda, the Octavia offers a class-leading interior space in the compact segment with 1,782 mm of interior length and the largest boot with a volume of 590 liters.

Besides being more spacious, the new model also sports a more premium feel both inside and out.

The exterior design of the car is sleek and to the point and has more presence than the previous Octavia. A new characteristic that we will be seeing more of in future Skoda models is an upswept dynamic window line in the rear doors, which the company calls a “fin”.

Inside, the uncluttered interior styling is typical of VW Group models with Skoda adding the latest in infotainment systems and other tech goodies including the availability for the first time of an Adaptive Cruise Assistant and a traffic-sign recognition as part of the ‘Traveller Assistant’ package.

Also new are the Intelligent Light Assistant that will switch to high beam and back automatically, a panoramic sunroof and the Driving Mode Selection that enables drivers to set certain vehicle driving characteristics at the push of the button.

The new Octavia Mk3 will make it to the European market next spring with a selection of eight turbocharged petrol and diesel engines. These include a 1.4-liter TSI petrol delivering 120hp (122PS), a 1.8-liter TSI petrol producing 177hp (180PS) and a 1.6-liter TDI, which in GreenLine trim generates 109hp (110PS) returning 3.4lt/100km (69.2mpg US or 83.1mpg UK) with CO2 emissions of just 89 g/km.

Skoda said manual and DSG transmissions are available, with all-wheel-drive versions in the works.

A performance RS (vRS in the UK) version fitted with the same 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine as the next VW Golf GTI will follow late next year as well.

The new Octavia will be formally introduced to the public at this year's Geneva Motor Show in March. 

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