Skoda Superb Coupe

There’s no coupe in Skoda’s current lineup and there hasn’t been a single one in the company’s post-VW history. But the Czech brand used to sell coupes, both before and during the communist period.

Obviously, Skoda’s current positioning as a more affordable alternative to the VW brand means we won’t see a coupe made in Mlada Boleslav too soon (if ever). But for those who are curious what a Skoda coupe would look like, automotive manipulator X-Tomi provides the answer. 

Using the all-new Skoda Superb as a starting point, he transformed into a coupe and the result is not half bad. 

Like the Superb cabriolet we posted a week ago, this rendering has been made just for fun, but it shows the design language of the the Superb would work on a coupe body style as well. In real life, however, the only body style the Superb will get besides the sedan is the estate. 

Renderings courtesy of X-Tomi Design

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Classic convertibles and roadsters by Škoda

The Škoda Works were established as an arms manufacturing plant in 1859. Škoda Auto (and its predecessors) is one of the five oldest companies producing cars and has an unbroken history alongside Tatra, Daimler, Opel and Peugeot.

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3rd Generation of Skoda Superb

March 12 was a very special day in the Czech Republic, as the first ever 3rd gen Skoda Superb rolled off the line at the Skoda plant in Kvasiny.

This model is wearing 'Business Grey' and it looks like it's on its way to a very proud and tasteful owner. Or at least we hope that's the case. By the looks of it, it's definitely not an entry-level model, its steering wheel is on the proper side and we're also very fond of the wheel design.

Luckily, the Kvasiny production facilities have already been modernized in preparation for the production of the new Superb. A new "Body Production" facility was also put into operation, while other production buildings and production areas were simply expanded.

The new body facility alone cost Skoda 1.7 billion Czech Koruna which is a little over $66 million - but it was clearly an investment they had to make.

Skoda seems to think that the new Superb is (already) setting the standard in the mid-class segment. We'd love it if that was the case, which is why we're glad that we can't argue against them, at least not yet.

We like its looks and all its new tech, and we're sure it's going to do great on the European market.

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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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Skoda Citigo

The Czech automaker's smallest vehicle will go on sale in its home market before the end of this year, with the UK and other European countries following at the beginning of summer 2012.
Unlike its Wolfsburg sibling that will launch in a three-door body style, the Citigo will be offered in both three-door and five-door versions.


Even though lately the Volkswagen Group has tried to cover up the common platform and mechanical hardware shared amongst its brands with unique body shells, that's not the case with the Citigo.


The main styling differences with the VW Up! are limited to the Skoda's front end including the bumper, headlamps and grille designs, the alloy wheels plus the tail lamp graphics (not the shape) and the bumper.


The two cars share more or less the same dimensions, with the Citigo measuring just 3,563mm long, 1,641mm wide and 1,478mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,420mm.


The Czech automaker says the Citigo can accommodate four-passengers in comfort. Boot space is a respectable (for the car's size) 251 liters, which can be extended to 951 liters by folding down the rear seats.


There are no photos of the interior yet, but we suspect that there won’t any be significant / noteworthy styling changes over the VW Up!. Like its German sibling, the Citigo will be offered with an available portable navigation system featuring a 5-inch screen, which will also provide hands-free calling with built-in Bluetooth and onboard infotainment.


The Skoda model will launch with two new, three-cylinder 1.0-litre petrol engines delivering 60HP (44kW) and 75HP (55kW) in both standard and Green Tec flavors.


The standard versions return 62.8mpg UK (52.3mpg US or 4.5lt/100km) and 105g CO2/km for the 60HP engine, and 60.1mpg UK (50.0mpg US or 4.7lt/100km) and 108g CO2/km with the 75PS unit.
The Green Tec derivatives are rated at 67.3mpg UK (56.0mpg US or 4.2lt/100km) and 65.7mpg UK (54.7mpg US or 4.3lt/100km) respectively with emissions of 97g and 99g CO2/km respectively.

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