Skoda Superb Combi

The all-new Skoda Superb Combi, a station wagon version of the Czech automaker's flagship saloon, was launched at the Frankfurt motor show. At 4,838 mm long, 1,817 mm wide and 1,510 mm tall, the estate retains the same dimensions with the conventional Superb but because it is taller at the back, its luggage compartment volume has been increased to an echoing 633 liters (+68lt over the sedan), rising to 1,865-liters with the rear seats folded down.

As a first for a Skoda car, the Combi offers an optional electrically controlled tailgate that also automatically moves the boot cover to its middle position to free up more space. Other gizmos include the KESSY system for starting, unlocking and locking the vehicle without using a conventional key, an optional electrically controlled two-piece panoramic sunroof and the cool-looking fin-shaped roof antenna.

The engine range of the estate is identical with that of the Superb saloon comprising of three gasoline units, a 1.4 TSI with 125HP, a 1.8 TSI with 160HP and the top-of-the-line 3.6 FSI V6 that makes 260HP and is offered with a four-wheel drive system, plus two 2.0-liter diesel engines producing 140HP and 175HP.

All engines are linked to five or six-speed manual gearboxes while the VW Group's DSG dual clutch auto transmission will be optional.

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Milotec Releases LED kit for Skoda Fabia and Roomster

While LED daytime running light have found their way in many upscale models, few makers offer them even as extras on mainstream cars like the Skoda Fabia hatch and its crossover sibling, the Roomster. But this is where aftermarket tuners like Skoda specialist Milotec come in. In addition to the aero parts and alloy wheel upgrades, Milotec is enhancing its product lineup for the Fabia and Roomster with the introduction of a new LED daytime running light kit. Prices -not including installation- are set at €265 for the standard kit and €289 of the tinted LEDs.

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Skoda Superb Estate

We're only a few day away from the official unveiling of the all-new Skoda Superb Estate (Combi) at the Frankfurt Motor Show but a complete gallery of the mid-size station wagon is already doing rounds on the internet. The more practical version of the Superb replaces the liftback-saloon's innovative 'twindoor' split hatch with a sloping tailgate that makes the car look less frumpy than one would imagine and a new rear-end design boasting a pair of Cayenne-esque tail lamps.

The Estate retains the same exact length, wheelbase and width with the conventional Superb, but because it is taller at the back it comes with a massive boot that can accommodate a whopping 633 liters of luggage (up to the height of the rear seat), an increase of 68 liters over the saloon model.

When the Estate goes on sale in Europe in the beginning of 2010, the line-up will comprise of three petrols and two diesels from the current Superb range, including a 125HP 1.4-liter TSI, a 260HP 3.6-liter V6 FSI plus the company's first common rail diesel, the 2.0 TDI CR with 175 horsepower. The engines will be coupled to manual gearboxes and optionally, to the VW Group's DSG twin-clutch transmission.

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Facelifted Skoda Octavia RS

After launching the facelifted Octavia sedan and estate at the Paris Auo Show late last year, Skoda has now updated its range topping Octavia RS (or vRS for the UK market) that's available in both five-door liftback and station wagon variants. Changes on the vehicle that could be described as a more practical and spacious version of the previous generation Golf GTI as the two models share the same platform and 200HP 2.0 TSI gasoline (there's also a 170HP 2.0 TDI diesel engine), concern the sheetmetal as well as the chassis.

On the outside, the Octavia RS models feature a redesigned front mask with an RS logo and reshaped headlamps that, for the first time in the RS version, can be fitted with xenon units combined with an adaptive front lighting module. The RS also gets restyled bumpers and tail lamps while Skoda also offers a new metallic paint (Anthracite) and 18-inch Neptune alloy wheels. In the interior, Skoda has revised the Octavia RS's trim while the Climatronic air conditioning system gets new controls.

Under the sheetmetal, the Czech automaker has lowered the Octavia RS's chassis road height to 127 mm while the car's weight has been reduced by a significant 20kg or 44lbs in the petrol version and 15kg or 33lbs in the diesel one.

Skoda hasn't announced performance figures but it did claim that the maximum speed is higher, and the car's responsiveness and acceleration have also been improved due to these changes.

As with the Golf GTI and GTD, European buyers can opt between a 200HP 2.0-liter gasoline engine that goes by on an average of 7.5lt/100km (31.4mpg US or 37.7mpg UK) and a 170HP 2.0 TDI diesel with a combined consumption of 5.7lt/100km (41.3mpg US or 49.6mpg UK). Both engines are exclusively equipped with a six-speed twin-clutch DSG transmission.

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Skoda Plant 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.

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Skoda Octavia RS

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.

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Skoda issues Of Frankfurt Show

Czech automaker Skoda, has released a shadowy shot of the new Superb Estate that is scheduled to make its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show in mid-September. The newest addition to the Superb range promises to offer more luggage space and increased practicality over the five-door model with its signature twin tailgate that has sold more than forty-two thousand units, in just over a year since it was first launched in Europe.

The Volkswagen Group owned company did not disclose further details on the station-wagon model but buyers should expect a similar engine line-up to the standard Superb which includes three gasoline and three diesel units coupled to manual gearboxes and DSG twin-clutch transmissions.

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Skoda's Flagship Model

The most eco-friendly version of Skoda's flagship model, the Superb Greenline, is to be used as the official vehicle by the Czech Republic government to transport EU ministers and delegations visiting the country. Overall, VW's Czech subsidiary has provided the government with 27 vehicles. The first event to see the Superb GreenLines in action is this weekend's EU-US summit that will take place in Prague and will be attended by US president Barack Obama as part of his first official visit to Europe. However, don't expect to see Obama riding one of the Skodas.

Skoda Auto PR Manager Radek Spicar comments: "We are pleased that the Superb GreenLine is to be used as the official vehicle when Barack Obama visits the country. We are aware of his positive attitude to environmental protection and giving environmentally-friendly vehicles political support is very important in terms of increasing the number of such vehicles in general."

"We are really pleased that the vehicles will also be used to transport the EU environment ministers in Prague - this is surely going to be seen as an example worth following," he concluded.

According to Skoda's official data, the Superb GreenLine which is equipped with a 105HP 1.9-liter turbo diesel emits a mere 136 g/km and has an combined fuel consumption of 5.1 lt per 100 km or 46.1 MPG (US).

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Skoda Readying Fabia Hatchback Scout

Yep, it's another faux-by-four variant from Skoda. In addition to the Octavia, Roomster and Fabia Estate Scout models, the Czech automaker is now getting ready to add the Scout badge to the Fabia hatchback. These official photos - courtesy of the European trademark office, show that the 5-door Fabia will receive the same visual off-road styling cues as the other Scout models meaning plenty of black plastic cladding all-around and new roof bars, and well, that's about it.

As with the Fabia Estate Scout, the hatchback model will be offered exclusively with a front-wheel drive layout while expect to see a similar engine line-up as in the standard car. That means 1.4-liter and 1.6-liter petrol engines with 85 and 105HP outputs respectively as well as two diesel powerplants, an 80HP 1.4-liter TDI and a 105HP 1.9-liter TDI.

The new Fabia Scout hatchback should make its premiere in one of the forthcoming international auto shows in Europe.

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VW Group Confirms New Minicars for VW Seat and Skoda Brands

The Volkswagen Group has revealed that it will introduce a new family of small cars based on the Up! prototypes for the VW, Seat and Skoda brands. Europe's largest carmaker announced that it has also taken the decision to build all variants of the minicar that are known as "New Small Family" at its Bratislava plant in Slovakia. The first examples of the city cars that will be available in 3-door and 5-door versions will roll off the production lines at the beginning of 2011.

"Our team at Volkswagen in Slovakia is ideally prepared to provide the flexibility required for the production of the New Small Family. Four brands are already produced successfully under one roof at our plant in Bratislava today," said Professor Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft.

The first study for these economical city cars, the three -door Up!, made its world debut at the Frankfurt Show in 2007 followed a few weeks later by a five-door iteration called Space-Up! at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show while VW also introduced a third variant at the 2007 Los Angeles Show called the Space-Up! Blue.

Even though the Up! concept studies featured a rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout, it remains to be seen if the VW Group retains this architecture on the production versions.

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Skoda Octavia Scout Crossover

Along with the updated Octavia RS saloon and estate models, Skoda also released the first official photos of its facelifted Octavia Scout. The new crossover-ish version of the Octavia features a redesigned front grille and headlamps, plus body-colored side mouldings, and restyled bumpers and tail lights. Unlike the rest of the models in Skoda's Scout range, the Octavia is equipped with VW Group's all-wheel drive system that features a fourth-generation Haldex clutch, which can transfer as much as 86 percent of the torque to a single wheel.

Furthermore, the Octavia Scout has a higher ground clearance (179mm) than the standard Estate versions upon which it is based. The Scout is available with two engines options, the 160HP 1.8 TSI petrol and the 140HP 2.0 TDI diesel, both of which are combined with a six-speed manual transmission.

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Yeti Compact SUV With 4x4 Finally Revealed

It took Skoda more than four years and two concept studies, but Volkswagen's Czech subsidiary finally managed to unveil the production version of the Yeti at this week's Geneva Salon. When it goes on sale across Europe this summer, the Yeti compact SUV will be Skoda's fifth model competing against rivals such as the Ford Kuga, Toyota RAV4 and even VW's very own Tiguan.

Skoda's designers kept close to the original concept in terms of styling though they did replace the hidden rear door handles with conventional ones. Compared to its rivals, the 4.2 metre long, five-door vehicle looks less robust and more 'crossoverish'.

The Czech company claims that the Yeti is quite practical offering up to 1760 litres in luggage space by removing the rear seats while a luggage cover and net as well as lashing rings are available to secure the load.

Available exclusively with turbocharged 4-cylinder engines, the range consists of two petrol units (1.2 TSI with 102HP and 1.8 TSI with 160HP) and three diesel variants (2.0 TDI with a power output of 110, 140 and 170HP). Aside from the 1.2-liter TSI which is offered only with a front-wheel drive layout, all the other powerplants come with four-wheel drive.

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Design Concept Skoda Fabia Sports

Skoda's Geneva motorshow stand hosted the debut of the Fabia Sport Design Concept. Strangely enough, Volkswagen's Czech subsidiary did not disclose any details on the styling study, but we gather that the sporty Fabia could be hinting at the forthcoming RS model that's expected sometime in 2010. The Fabia Sports Design model is finished in a two-tone paint job featuring black alloy wheels, fa ront apron, a roof spoiler, side skirts, a rear apron with an integrated diffuser, blacked out headlamps and dark chrome surrounding for the front grille.

Interior changes are limited to the two-tone trim, the sports steering wheel, the aluminum pedals and the sport seats.

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