Skoda Australia seeks Mazda3 rival


Trendsetter: Vision D concept heralds the new
design direction for Skoda's all-new small car and next Octavia.



VW’s Czech mate to fill the gap between Fabia and next
Octavia with new small Skoda

SKODA Group Australia is set to offer its first genuine
rival for small-car giants like Toyota’s Corolla and the Mazda3 as part of an
ambitious growth plan that will be supported by a significantly expanded dealer
network.

Head of the Czech brand’s Australian operations, Matthew
Wiesner, said the addition of light-sized Fabia and Yeti compact SUV models here
in September and October respectively to Skoda’s existing local line-up of
Octavia and Superb models would only be the beginning of a new model renaissance
for the Volkswagen-owned brand.

Speaking at a media briefing to launch
new Superb 103TDI variants this week, Mr Wiesner said Skoda plans to broaden its
model range in order to reach its global sales goal of 1.5 million units by the
end of this decade.

“That is not going to happen overnight and it’s not
going to happen with the products that we’ve got today,” he said.

“Do you
do it with Fabia, Yeti, Superb and Octavia alone? No. It’s going to happen with
an expanded product line-up.

“You’ll see the brand over the next five
years evolve significantly in confidence, in styling and in model range.”


Mr Wiesner said the most obvious gap in the company’s local line-up was
a genuine small-segment contender.

“If you’re not in that, you’re not
going to drive the brand where you need to go from a volume point of view,” he
said. “That’s vital for us here.”




Left: Head of Skoda Group Australia Matthew Wiesner. Below: Skoda Fabia, Yeti, Fabia
RS, Roomster.

Skoda’s Australian product marketing manager Petr
Benada confirmed this week that the all-new model would appear in Europe next
year, but would not say if it will wear the rumoured ‘Felicia’
nameplate.

Whatever it is called, Skoda’s take on the VW Golf will slot
neatly into the brand’s portfolio between the Fabia and the Octavia, which Mr
Weisner says will grow into a true mid-sized vehicle when the next-generation
model appears in 2013.

“(Octavia) sort of slips into small but obviously
plays in medium,” he said. “That will change when the new one comes - it will be
more of a typical medium-sized car.”

Both the new small-car and the
Octavia are likely to be inspired by the Vision D concept that debuted earlier
this year, though Mr Wiesner would only confirm that the next Octavia would
feature a “more confident” design than the current iteration.

“We’ve got
a (design) team now that’s spent a lot of time within the Audi brand,” he said.
“You can certainly see confidence in design in the next generation.


“That needs to happen, as Skoda the brand evolves and becomes more
confident and as its presence on the global stage becomes greater, then styling
has to match the desire of the job required of the brand – the lines, the
confidence, the whole thing.

“I’ve seen (next-generation) Octavia… the
step up in confidence from a design perspective is quite extraordinary, but
still very European.”

Mr Wiesner also said that “it would be nice to have
a seven-seat SUV-type product” in Skoda’s model range. However, if or when such
a model could emerge remains sketchy.

Before then, it will be full steam
ahead for Volkswagen’s entry-level brand with the launch of the light Fabia
hatchback range and the small Yeti crossover line-up set to double the Skoda
model range within two months.

More Fabia variants - including the wagon
body style, RS hot-hatch and optional DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission –
will join the range early next year, along with the reintroduction of the quirky
Roomster light commercial with revised petrol engines, at a “very aggressive
price”.

The expanded range is expected to allow Skoda to make headway
into regional markets while it continues to compete with product from its main
Japanese and Korean competitors.

“It’s been three years getting to this
point,” said Mr Wiesner. “We’re up to speed and have everything that we have
internationally and we (will now) roll with what’s going on globally.”

To
cope with the influx of new model, Skoda plans to expand its national dealer
network from 31 at present to 55 by the end of 2014.

Globally, the
marque is on track to break its all-time annual sales record this year, with
523,000 units delivered to the end of July.

This represents sales growth
of 19.7 per cent on the same timeframe in 2010 and includes substantial
improvements in developing markets including China, India and Russia and parts
of Central, Eastern and Western Europe.

Skoda sales in Australia are up
47.3 per cent so far in 2011, with June and July being the brand’s best two
sales months since its launch here in 2007.




[source: goauto.com.au]