The model is a modified version of the production Skoda Octavia vRS hatch, having been prepared by Skoda UK, the team spent the week leading up to Speed Week putting the car through a rigorous dyno programme, supported by performance software and tuning outfit specialist REVO Technik.

The previous record, set in August 1998 was 216 mph, now beaten by journalist Richard Meadon, who set speeds throughout the week and beating the 200mph barrier on six previous runs.

The Skoda Octavia’s runs consisted of two official runs on the five mile course, at 225.513mph on 18th August and a return run at 228.647mph on 19th August 2011.

Robert Hazelwood, Director for Skoda UK, said: “This is a truly stunning achievement. Our goal was to break 200 mph as a celebration of 10 years of vRS, and we have achieved that, and significantly more. The success is a tribute to everyone who has worked so tirelessly and with such passion to make Skoda a world beater.”

source: carpages.co.uk

The Skoda Octavia Greenline II is available as hatchback and estate form, powered by a 1.6 TDI CR 105PS engine with common rail technology. On the combined cycle, fuel consumption returns 74.3mpg for the hatch and 67.3mph for the estate and CO2 emissions are 99g/km for the hatch and 109g/km for the estate. Tax for the first year is £0 for the Skoda Octavia Greenline II, with a £20 charge for the estate from year two.

Dr. Ben Lane, Managing Editor of Next Green Car, commented: “With the new Octavia, Skoda continues to excel with a low emission family car that is practical, affordable, with plenty of room inside for five adults to travel comfortably.”

Chris Horrell, Skoda UK Product Marketing Manager, commented: “We are delighted to win this award. Skoda’s second generation GreenLine product range has been developed to showcase cutting-edge technologies that reduce emissions and keep running costs to a minimum without compromising on the exceptional value for money and high quality for which Skoda has become famous.”

The new technical base will debut in 2011 with the new compact of the House of Ingolstadt, while the Golf will take 7 the following year. The new Skoda Octavia will have more sporting lines and a greater quality, without sacrificing comfort that has marked since the first generation. It will be confirmed on the tailgate to access the luggage compartment which could be characterized by the system Twin Door. Compared to the current generation, new Octavia will be wider than 6 cm and will have a pitch greater than 4 cm, for a total of 262 cm.

Both occupant and boot space will be larger in new Octavia, and we should see some new engine technology, including Start&Stop as standard. The 1.2-litre TSI engine will have Greenline technology emitting less than 100 g/km of CO2, while the top of the range will be represented by the RS version with the 2.0-litre TSI with 270 hp.

The nice car will look more like the superb, and it will be more elegant

On the outside, the 2009 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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Source: carscoop

Along with the updated 2009 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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Source: carscoop

Unveiled in hatch and estate form, the car has fresh headlights and a new bumper that bring the family car’s nose into line with the rest of Skoda’s range.

Under the bonnet, new 1.4-litre and 1.8-litre TSI engines follow the downsizing trend aimed at making cars greener yet more powerful. The turbo and supercharged engines should provide plenty of power for the facelifted Octavia and are mated to seven-speed DSG twin-clutch gearboxes. 
 Also making an appearance was a new range-topping version of the flagship Superb 4×4. With a 3.6-litre FSI V6 boasting 260bhp and permanent four-wheel-drive, the 4×4 is the most powerful production Skoda so far.

And as a nod to the much loved (but now departed) Fabia vRS, the firm brought along a black Fabia 1.9 TDI Sport Line with a white roof and green brake calipers.

source: www.autoexpress.co.uk

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Skoda, which has production sites in the Czech Republic, China, Russia, India and Ukraine managed to sell 630,032 cars in 2007 contributing to the VW Group’s full-year profit by approximately 13 percent.

Via: Yahoo