As part of the Volkswagen Group’s New Small Family (NSF) project, the Citigo shares the same MQB platform as the Volkswagen up! and the SEAT Mii. As such, it has achieved the same five star top score in the Euro NCAP crash test along with those vehicles. Skoda has revealed the three-door version will measure 3.56 m (11.7 ft) long), 1.65 m (5.4 ft) wide, and 1.48 m (4.8 ft) high, and the five-door model is unlikely to be any different.

Both the three- and five-door models offer the same engine options – a three-cylinder petrol engine with one liter of displacement in two versions. The first produces 44 kW/60 hp, while the second produces 55 kW/75 hp. These are also the same engine options offered on the up!. Skoda will also offer Green Tec variants for both engine options, the most efficient of which achieves a mileage of 4.1 l/100 km (57.3 mpg), and CO2 emissions of 96 g CO2/km.

Another feature the Citigo shares with the up! and the Mii is the inclusion of an automated braking system, which Skoda calls “City Safe Drive.” This system uses a laser sensor to detect a potential collision and automatically activates the brakes at speeds under 30 km/h (19 mph). Along with its NSF siblings, the Citigo is the first car in its class to offer this feature.

Skoda kept this one quiet! At the recent Frankfurt Motor Show the biggest news from the Czech manufacturer was the MissionL concept but the firm was obviously biding its time while parent company, Volkswagen, basked in the glow from its own new city car, the up!. The new baby Skoda, the Citigo, is actually based on the VW model so you can see why the two cars would not make their debut at the same event.

Despite being remarkably similar in looks the Skoda designers have worked hard to separate the Citigo from its VW cousin. The Skoda corporate face has shrunk down to size and features the finned grille and shapely headlights that are familiar to the rest of the Skoda range. The fancy glass boot of the up! has been replaced by a more conventional half metal affair while the side panels have been changed to give straighter lines and open up the rear windows even more.

The Citigo will enter the market in the Czech Republic by the end of the year with the Europe wide sales expected to start in June 2012. At launch a pair of three-cylinder 1.0-litre engines will be offered with power outputs of 59- and 74bhp. These engines are set to be economical, returning up to 62.8mpg while emitting 105g/km of CO₂, though the optional stop-start system will see these figures improve to 67mpg and 99g/km, meaning the greenest Citigos will be exempt from the congestion charge in London.

The Citigo is set to feature technologies such as City Safe Drive – that will apply the brakes if it senses an imminent collision – and a portable iPad style satnav unit that doubles as a Bluetooth device for phone calls and music streaming.

No word yet on prices for the Citigo but with the VW up! coming in at £8,000 we would expect the Citigo to be about £1,000 cheaper.

Skoda India is going to launch its new car-Skoda Rapid precisely in November. However, initial information captured from the undisguised images of Skoda Rapid suggests that the upcoming car is an extended version of Skoda Fabia hatchback. Skoda India started the production of Skoda Rapid at its Chakan facility in Pune recently only. The new sedan has been designed to cater exactly to the needs of Indian customers. Skoda Rapid price is yet to be revealed but it will undercut the price of Volkswagen Vento which shares its platform with Rapid. The front looks are heavily inspired from Skoda Fabia and side look from Volkswagen Vento. Only the rear end is modified by Skoda India. Skoda Rapid will be equally spacious as Volkswagen Vento and will share the engine specifications with the latter i.e 1.6 litre petrol and diesel engine churning out 105 bhp power. The engine will be mated to a 5 speed manual transmission. However, the diesel variant producing 250 Nm of torque will also feature an automatic gearbox.



Skoda Auto India is all set to launch its latest invent “Skoda Rapid” soon. This latest entry in the fleet of Skoda India is most likely to be based on one of its sibling Volkswagen’s offering. If speculations are to be believed, Skoda Rapid is going to incorporate same engine specifications as added in VW Vento i.e. 1.6L petrol/diesel added with dual transmission modes (Auto/Manual).

The Skoda Rapid price might come close to Maruti SX4 and much below Skoda Laura, there is going to be hard competition within the sedan segment cars. After the launch of Skoda Yeti – the SUV segment car, “Skoda Rapid” is next in-line. And as per rumors, Skoda India is going to install some high-end tech specs in Skoda Rapid making it a milestone in sedan car segment. So sit tight for a whole new riding experience with “Skoda Rapid”.

Skoda Auto started its operations in India as Skoda Auto India Pvt. Ltd in November 2001. In India, the company is currently selling following car models – Skoda Laura, Skoda Fabia (manufactured in India) and Skoda Superb, Skoda Yeti (Imported) with Skoda Octavia model discontinued in 2010.

With Skoda Auto India having presence in most of the car segments, the company is going to make one more addition in Sedan car segment by launching the all new smoking hot “Skoda Rapid”. With company keeping tight lips regarding the Skoda Rapid specs and equipments, one thing is quite sure that it is going to offer good competition to other cars present in this segment. As per reports, Skoda Rapid will come with low price tag and this will act as the main USP of this car. We all know that Skoda Auto India never compromises on comfort, technology and looks, so this time also it is believed that they will deliver a mind-suiting eye candy.

The Czech carmaker seems to be on the track to further revolutionize India with Skoda Rapid. This car has been designed similar to its sibling Volkswagen’s sedan offering Vento. It will be an executive class sedan and will be a direct rival of Honda City. Rapid will be built at the company’s Chakan facility in Pune.

An engine similar to Volkswagen Vento is supposed to power Rapid as well. It will be a 1.6L diesel and 1598cc petrol engine of Vento that will be there in various trims of Rapid. The transmission system is likely to have an automatic version whereas the manual will have five-speed gears.

Indian car market that has since been dominated by premium sedan Honda City is expected to undergo a radical change with the Rapid. Being positioned in the premium car category, Skoda is expected to pitch in an aggressive strategy in order to capture the market. With the superior branding and a sales backup of Skoda Fabia and Laura, the Czech carmaker will experience less effort in popularizing its new sedan Skoda Rapid. Besides, it will be an advantage for Rapid as it is expected to be offered in diesel when Honda City is available only in petrol.

Rapid’s engine displacement of 1598cc and a maximum power of 105 PS and a maximum torque 153Nm is going to add to the popularity as it will be more powerful than Honda City which has a only 1497cc engine under its hood.

As it is based on a new concept, Skoda Rapid is sure to have prominent exteriors and plush interiors. The front is expected to be different from any of the Volkswagen or Skoda’s line up as it is hoped to be based on the new concept that could be MissonL. Initial pictures of Rapid reveal that it will have a prominent front grille with a little chrome lining and uniquely designed sporty headlamps. The new Skoda Green colored logo sits tight at the centre on the top of the grille. The front face is further enhanced with body colored bumper that has a wide air dam and two fog lamps on each side. Moving on to the sides; Skoda Rapid has much bolder and masculine side fenders that complements the sides with the help of all-alloy wheels. The Outside Rear View Mirrors will be body colored and will have side indicators on it. The rear view pictures of the Skoda Rapid are unavailable however, it is expected that it will have high mounted brake light besides two LED based rear lamps.

The interior of Rapid will be in all likelihood plush and sporty in order to compete with its rivals in India. The dash will have all advanced equipments including meters, glove box, music system and air conditioning. The air conditioning is expected to have automatic climate control feature. The steering is expected to be clad in leather with audio and cruise control buttons on it. In all, Skoda Rapid will be able to seat four persons comfortably with an overall seating capacity for five persons. The rear seats will have a handrest with cup holder in the middle. The height adjustable front driver seat and the passenger seat are expected to have lumbar support and we could even find leather upholstery on the high-end models.

On the safety front, Skoda Rapid is expected to have two airbags for the driver and the front passenger besides Anti-lock Braking System, front fog lamps, Electronic BrakeForce Distribution and Electronic Stability Program are also expected to find a place in Rapid.

Among the comfort features, Rapid is expected to have adjustable power steering, internally adjustable ORVMs with power fold feature, central locking, power windows, adjustable front seats, music system with MP3 and FM integrated with four speakers apart from automatic climate control.

The new three-door Volkswagen Up-based city car, set to be part of a range of new city cars Skoda collectively calls ‘New Small Family’, will be a major part of Skoda’s ambitious growth plans. The Czech firm wants to be selling 1.5 million cars per year by 2018, up from the 762,600 it sold in 2010.

The Citigo’s styling mixes its current cues from the Fabia with the look of its recent VisionD and MissionL concepts cars. It features a finned grille set in chrome-plated frame, similar to that seen on the MissionL seen at Frankfurt motor show earlier this month.

It is 3560mm long, 1650mm wide and 1480mm high, although Skoda claims a 2420mm wheelbase offers enough interior space for four passengers on long trips. Boot volume is 251 litres, or 951 litres with the rear seats folded down.

The Citigo is will be offered initially in the UK with the Up’s 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine with two power outputs: 59bhp and 74bhp.

The standard engines will offer 62.8mpg and 105g/km of CO2 for the 59bhp version and 60.1mpg and 108g/km for the 74bhp unit.

Highly economical variants under the Green Tec banner will also be available. The 59bhp Green Tec will return 67.3mpg and 97g/km, while the 74bhp powerplant will boast 65.7mpg and 99g/km. Alongside the manual gearbox, Citigo will also be available with an automatic transmission.

Interior kit includes satnav – which comes in the shape of a detachable, portable five-inch touchscreen – Bluetooth and numerous storage compartments. The car will also feature Skoda’s new brake assistance system for collision avoidance.

The three-door Citigo will be the sole member of the New Small Family at launch, but Skoda technical chief Eckhard Scholz said the four-door version, previewed by the VW Cross Up at the recent Frankfurt motor show, would be “the most important” of the new cars.

“The three-door looks good, but the four-door is even better in my opinion,” he told Autocar. Scholz also confirmed an “aggressive price” for the Citigo, with some sources suggesting a price of around £7000.

An electric version of the Citigo is also under consideration, but not yet confirmed. “We need to learn about the technology first,” said Scholz.

Production of the Citigo will begin at Skoda’s Bratislava plant in October. The car will go on sale in the Czech Republic before the end of this year, ahead of the UK and European roll-out next summer.

source: www.autocar.co.uk

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Some might say that Skoda is “Volkswagenising”, and others might see this new Mission L Concept as an example of how the Skoda brand has matured under VW ownership. Despite the rear design in these images, apparently the Skoda Mission L Concept is actually a five-door hatchback.
In any case, the concept marks a new C segment model for Skoda on international markets and will be available in Europe, China and Russia as part of the brand’s expansion plans. No details on the platform or engine range have been released and compared to the futuristic and more Audi-like VisionD Concept seen at Geneva we get a boxier, more 80’s look on this model.

The new Mission L Concept is an introduction to a model which should slot in between the Octavia and the Fabia (rather than substituting the Octavia), in order to provide a more complete offering in the Skoda range, but more details will be available when the concept is officially presented at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.

source: www.eurocarblog.com

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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.”