Skoda has updated the Fabia Sport. The new model can be identified by its 15mm lower ride height. Other equipment standard on the Sport includes tinted windows, 16-inch alloy wheels, a tailgate spoiler and new front bumper incorporating fog lamps. Inside, the driver gets a three-spoke leather steering wheel, trip computer and curtain airbags.

Four engines are offered in Sport trim: 1.2- and 1.6-litre petrol units, as well as 1.4- and 1.9-litre turbodiesels. Performance figures in Sport trim are the same as for other Fabia models with the same engines. Marginally the swiftest is the 1.6-litre petrol with a claimed 0-62mph time of 10.1 seconds, but the 1.9-litre diesel is only slightly slower, yet on the combined cycle has a considerable economy advantage: 57.6 as opposed to 40.9mpg. Economy champion is the small diesel motor, which returns 58.9mpg and just 120g/km of carbon dioxide, earning a band-B VED rating.

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Source: http://carenthusiast.com

The new Roomster 2 features 15-inch ‘Avior’ alloy wheels, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, electric front windows, remote central locking, curtain airbags and a trip computer all included as standard equipment at a price of just £11,630 ($19,956 or €14,969).

The car is powered by a 1.4TDI engine, capable of 80 hp, which with its 135g/km emissions of CO2 reduces the environmental impact.

“Our revolutionary MPV gives families everything they need from a car – practicality, value and style. The Roomster 2 is a popular family choice which is why we are offering the ‘Family Pack’ on this trim,” says Warren Richards, Product Marketing Manager at Škoda.

At the interior, the Fabia Blue Line got the “Magic” upholstery, climate control air conditioning. Storage boxes under the front seats and a glasses storage space.

The car is produced in two versions, one powered by a 1.2 70HP petrol engine with a price of 9,990 pounds($17,345 or €12,820)and the other one gets the power from a 1.4 80 HP diesel and its cost reaches 11,450 pounds($19,800 or €14,700).

“The BlueLine is a great looking car at an incredibly good price which offers a touch of individuality in the crowded supermini market. The Fabia BlueLine will only be available for a short period and limited to just 500 cars, so anyone on a hunt for a stunning supermini should contact a Skoda retailer now”, Warren Richards, Product Marketing Manager concluded.

Source: www.4wheelsnews.com

Source: www.carmagazine.co.uk

The Fabia’s part in the revival of Skoda, or should that be resurgence, amounts to over 2million units exiting the production line since its launch, which serves to indicate the company was and still is, doing something right. In fact the Fabia won no less than seven important awards in the first two years and a good few more since then.

Solid build quality, plenty of interior space and practicality were the supermini’s main qualities and people soon came to realise that any Skoda, represented Volkswagen quality at a bargain price.

The same can be said of the latest version but with more cabin space and better materials, whilst keeping the prices down - something of a conjuring trick that many mainstream manufacturers are trying to master. And now Skoda has pulled another bunny out of the hat, with the GreenLine Fabias.

To people of a certain age, the name is likely to evoke memories of buses but even the Fabia Estate isn’t big enough to carry that off. That said, the engine noise might be deemed quite representative. The reason is that the GreenLine Fabia, in either hatch or estate form, houses a 3-cylinder, 1.4-litre, diesel engine, which sounds decidedly agricultural. However, this can be overlooked in view of the car’s surprising performance and meagre thirst.

Fabia and performance in the same sentence seems almost laughable, unless, that is, we’re talking about Skoda’s future rally car, the Fabia Super 2000. For sure, the GreenLine is not in the same league as a Bugatti, but it does have a top speed of 105mph after a somewhat leisurely 0-62mph time of 13.2 seconds.  But it is the torque that makes the difference – that and the effect of TDI PD engineering, which never fails to maximise any potential. This Turbo-Diesel, Pumpe Duse (high-pressure unit injector) engine produces 81 PS (80bhp) at 4,400rpm and 195Nm of torque, which peaks at 2,200rpm but is evident long before that point.

Source: http://www.carpages.co.uk/

Sainz was impressed with the Fabia 200 and said: “I have got to know the Skoda Fabia really well and I can see a huge step forward as far as the development of the competition version is concerned.”

Skoda Auto chief Dr Eckhard Scholz said: “The involvement of experienced drivers such as Carlos and Hans-Joachim Stuck highlights the importance the Volkswagen Group attributes to Skoda’s motorsport initiatives and gives valuable stimulus to the development of the new Fabia Super 2000.”

The Fabia rally car is expected to make its rallying debut later in 2008 before a full programme of international events in 2009

So far in 2008, Skoda has registered 14,367 new vehicles, representing market share of 1.67 per cent for the year. This is a significant improvement on 2007, when the company’s year-to-date market share was 1.53 per cent by April. This impressive performance is ample proof that the quality of Skoda’s vehicles is making a mark on British consumers.

Skoda UK Director Robert Hazelwood said: “This increase in market share is testament not only to the outstanding quality of our cars, but to the dedication of our retailers. It is also ample proof that Skoda as a brand is continuing to grow and that the news that Skoda is the manufacturer of happy drivers is not a secret any longer.”

Skoda achieved this outstanding result despite difficult market conditions, although Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) figures suggest that April was a better month for the industry. Total registrations for the month were 175,668 – up by 5,505 on April 2007.

One of the main growth areas for registrations was diesel vehicles. This is a trend that Skoda is well placed to exploit, given its strong range of economical and attractive models, not least the incredibly frugal new Fabia GreenLine, the spacious Roomster, which is available with a selection of diesel engines, and the class-leading Octavia.

In cooperation with Czech police, the country’s National Fire Department and other agencies Ministries of the Interior, Transport and Health, Škoda Auto is launching a new road safety survey.

A dedicated survey team made up of Škoda Auto’s Technical Development people and experts from a number of other institutions is going to analyse real road accidents involving mass-produced Škoda vehicles. Special attention will be drawn to cases of airbag activation, human injuries and collisions with cyclists and pedestrians. The subsequent analysis is going to be made up of three key components: technical (damage to the vehicle and the vehicle’s behaviour in the accident concerned), medical (human injuries and possibilities of minimising the same) and psychological (cause of the accident). Along with information acquired through standard crash tests, the findings of the said survey are going to be used to further improve the active and passive safety of the existing cars, as well as vehicles whose development is underway. The project implementation is based on vast experience and methods employed by VW and Audi, i.e., companies that have been conducting similar surveys on German roads for several years now.

Dr. Eckhard Scholz, Škoda Auto Board Member responsible for technological development, said on this occasion: “The reason why we look at real accidents is that we wish to avoid as many similar cases in the future as possible and, should they still occur, minimise their consequences. As most accidents are unfortunately caused by human failures, we also want to support appropriate corrective action, i.e., take preventive measures, explain what is actually going on when an accident occurs, how important it is to use seat belts and fasten any load carried in the vehicle, and highlight the roles of the vehicle’s speed, the driver’s response time and a safe distance. We want to look for additional possibilities of ensuring that the vehicle itself is able to eliminate accident consequences in a more efficient way. That is why we look at vehicles’ behaviour in standard barrier tests, as well is in real accidents.”

The Road Safety Survey team is going to receive accident reports directly from police, provided that the officials in charge are sure that the aforesaid criteria have been met. Furthermore, a free telephone line on 800 634 639 (800 NEHODY) has been launched today (15 January, 2008). If possible and as may be agreed with the respective department of Czech police, the Road Safety Survey team can go to actual accident scenes with specially modified Škoda Octavia Scouts equipped with appropriate documentation and measuring technology. Where the circumstances allow it, the specialists can then gather data describing the accident scene, the conditions, the vehicles and their technical parameters, the damage incurred and human injuries, if any, all that right at the scene of the accident concerned.

Martin Jahn, Škoda Auto Board Member responsible for HR, says: “We could not implement this project without the extensive support provided by the respective agencies of the Ministries of the Interior, Transport and Health, i.e., particularly without close cooperation with Czech police, the National Fire Department and BESIP (road safety agency - translator’s note). Considering the high share of Škoda vehicles in the domestic market, nearly every other vehicle on Czech roads is a Škoda, without exaggerating, which is one of the reasons why we’ve initiated this project. We believe that the survey will contribute to making our roads safer.”