Skoda is going to launch Fabia – a compact car in India by the end of 2007.
The first generation fabia has sold about 15lakh in Europe and other countries. The world premiere of the new generation of the Skoda Fabia will take place at the Geneva Auto Show in March 2007 subsequently it will be launched in India. From the looks of it, the 2007 Fabia seems to have a lot in common in terms of design with the new Suzuki Swift. Here are the few scoops about the car and its video
Czech site “Auto” has got THE on tscoop he second generation Fabia model. They managed to catch on tape, a semi-camouflaged prototype performing test runs.
In Europe the fabia is well known for its attractive design,the large amount of space, and above all, the generous amount of comfort ans is offered in various segments as Fabia sedan, Fabia combi and Fabia RS.
Engine:
A total of seven engines for the new Fabia,Four petrol and three diesel engines will be available in Europe. But only two variants of diesel and petrol are likely to be offered in india (since only engines under 1500cc for diesel and 1200cc for petrol falls under the tax band of 16%). These engines are already available in Romania and Czech market.. Engines will be borrowed from Skoda roomster-another successful model from Skoda, for Fabia.
Mileage figure in Czech by similar vehicles powered by these engines (though fuel consumption varies for vehicles I believe these figures will help you to evaluate the engine).
Diesel engines:
1.4TDI PD/51 KW —-18.4kpl
1.4TDI PD/59KW —-19.1kpl
Petrol engines:
1.2 HTP/44KW —– N.A
1.2 HTP/51 KW —–14.7kpl
abbrevation:HTP-high torque performance TDI-Turbo Direct Injection PD-pumpe duse(unit injector)
Very important for India (and for Skoda) will be the smallest of these engines offered. The three-cylinder 1198cc 12-valve petrol engine puts out 60bhp but this engine’s 11.4kgm of torque at a low 3000rpm
The 1422cc turbo-diesel will be Skoda trump card though. A three-cylinder version of the Laura’s PD motor, it puts out an impressive 79bhp and an even more impressive 19kgm@ 2000rpmof torque which can be matched only by Maruti swift. So it will go head-on with the Swift diesel, Tata indica and the soon-to-be-launched Getz diesel. To be competitive apart from the performance and pricing, Skoda has to improve its customer satisfaction (it occupies 9th rank in JD power CSI study) before this launches.
Design:
According to Skoda, new Skoda Fabia will be of 3992 mm in length (well under 4000mm to enjoy tax sops) 1642 mm in breadth and 1498 mm in height Fabia is largest in its class. The effectively usable space offers the occupants more space both in the front seats and in the rear. The boot has a basic capacity of 300 litres as against 232 litres in Maruti swift and, when the rear seats of Fabia are folded down, it will increase to 1163 litres.
The world car got the opportunity to ride the new generation Fabia has come up with following facts.
“The design of the new Fabia expresses clearly emotional characteristics. The fresh design with its strongly accentuated radiator grille, the integrated headlights which are both dynamic and harmonious, and the sideline which expresses both agility and value combine to make the new Skoda stand out clearly from its competitors. This is achieved by means of the white roof, available on request, and the four different wheel designs in the programme. The space is exceptionally generous in spite of its compact measurements and, in the rear; the amount of headspace provided is impressive. The ergonomic seat position for the driver is a matter of course in the new Fabia, while the higher position of the seats affords a better view of the bonnet and also makes entering and leaving more comfortable. The new Fabia offers more space for knee and foot space for all occupants, setting new standards in travelling comfort. Numerous functional improvements have been realised in the interior. The operating elements for the ventilation and the audio unit have been set high up in the centre console. This makes it possible to operate them without being distracted from what is happening in traffic”.
The following facilities will be offered in new Skoda Fabia, but in India these facilities may not be available for the sake of low cost or it may be offered as an optional one.
The highlights of the new Skoda Fabia :
• Large boot with a capacity of from 300 to 1163 litres
• Above-average legroom for all passengers
• The best headroom for rear passengers in the small car class
• Choice of different engines
• Audio/mobile phone operation via new remote control module on the steering wheel (option)
• Large tilting sun roof (option)
• Electronically regulated “Climatronic” air conditioning (option)
• Integrated six-CD autochanger (option)
• Two-tier boot cover-which can be installed at two different heights increasing the flexibility and functionality of the boot.
• Curve halogen projector headlights (option)
• Cornering front fog-lights (option)
• Seven different wheel designs, four steel and three alloy
• Diesel particle filter for the 1.4 TDI PD/59 kW and 1.9 TDI PD/77 kW diesel engines
• Attractive rear lights in Skoda’s trademark C-shape
• Higher seat positions for driver and front passenger that afford a better view and more comfortable access
In the rear, a child’s seat can be affixed with a top-tether belt which limits the forward movement of the upper part of the child’s seat in the event of a head-on collision.
Price:
Fabia may be priced at around in the price band of 4.5-6lakhs (10-15 percent more than the Getz). What you will get for the premium will be quality levels previously unheard of in this segment, plenty of interior space and solid European build and safety. The Fabia is sure to give Hyundai getz and Maruti swift a few sleepless nights at the very least. It is certainly ahead of the game when it comes to interior space, quality and choice of engines
Further launches:
Volkswagen will invest $ 530 million in pune for a new plant, that will work in conjunction with sister company Skoda India’s existing facility at Aurangabad and the plant will be operational by 2009. Pune plant will have a production capacity of 1,10,000 units and the group will bring other locally produced VW brand. Skoda will bring india the Fabia RS which is expected to have 150-plus bhp in addition to Volkswagen launch of Polo – which will compete with Maruti swift, Hyundai getz and Chevrolet spark (soon to be launched) and Passat sedan- costs about 30 lakh which will compete with Mercedes and BMW in India in coming years.
useful links:
http://www.auto.cz
http://www.skoda-auto.com