New Skoda Citigo Pops Up: Gives Birth to Czech Offspring

Only two days after this year's edition of theFrankfurt Motor Show closed its gates to the public, Skoda came out with official details on its own interpretation of the Volkswagen Up! city car that will wear the Citigo nameplate.
The Czech automaker's smallest vehicle will go on sale in its home market before the end of this year, with the UK and other European countries following at the beginning of summer 2012.
Unlike its Wolfsburg sibling that will launch in a three-door body style, the Citigo will be offered in both three-door and five-door versions.
Even though lately the Volkswagen Group has tried to cover up the common platform and mechanical hardware shared amongst its brands with unique body shells, that's not the case with the Citigo.
The main styling differences with the VW Up! are limited to the Skoda's front end including the bumper, headlamps and grille designs, the alloy wheels plus the tail lamp graphics (not the shape) and the bumper.
The two cars share more or less the same dimensions, with the Citigo measuring just 3,563mm long, 1,641mm wide and 1,478mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,420mm.
The Czech automaker says the Citigo can accommodate four-passengers in comfort. Boot space is a respectable (for the car's size) 251 liters, which can be extended to 951 liters by folding down the rear seats.
There are no photos of the interior yet, but we suspect that there won’t any be significant / noteworthy styling changes over the VW Up!. Like its German sibling, the Citigo will be offered with an available portable navigation system featuring a 5-inch screen, which will also provide hands-free calling with built-in Bluetooth and onboard infotainment.
The Skoda model will launch with two new, three-cylinder 1.0-litre petrol engines delivering 60HP (44kW) and 75HP (55kW) in both standard and Green Tec flavors.
The standard versions return 62.8mpg UK (52.3mpg US or 4.5lt/100km) and 105g CO2/km for the 60HP engine, and 60.1mpg UK (50.0mpg US or 4.7lt/100km) and 108g CO2/km with the 75PS unit.
The Green Tec derivatives are rated at 67.3mpg UK (56.0mpg US or 4.2lt/100km) and 65.7mpg UK (54.7mpg US or 4.3lt/100km) respectively with emissions of 97g and 99g CO2/km respectively.
“The Citigo is one of the pillars of our growth strategy. It paves the way for tremendous opportunities in a new segment,” said ŠKODA Board Chairman, Winfried Vahland.
“The Citigo is literally a ‘Simply Clever’ car. Despite its small size, it offers ample interior space; it is agile while frugal. Put simply: it’s an attractive choice offering many clever ideas. The car offers all of ŠKODA's values in a compact package and fits perfectly with our aims," he added.

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IAA 2011: Skoda MissionL Concept

Czech car manufacturer and member of the VW Group, Skoda, is on a…mission at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show to preview its upcoming compact sedan model with a close to production ready concept car named MissionL.The production model will be positioned between the smaller Fabia and the larger Octavia challenging the likes of the Focus sedan in Europe, Russia, China, and India. Skoda said the as-of-yet unnamed compact sedan will launch in India by the end of 2011 and the rest of the world in the beginning of next year.
“We have taken a very pure approach to this design study – we have structured the surfaces simply, but impressively,” says Skoda Board of Directors Member for Technological Development Eckhard Scholz.
“The car has a strong, sporty look which conveys a beautiful simplicity and a youthful and contemporary appearance. Many people look for clean, minimalistic lines, and the MissionL concept offers all that,” Scholz added.
Albeit Skoda makes no mention in the teaser press release, given the positioning of the model as well as certain details of the design, it appears that the MissionL is the Czech variant of the VW Jetta.
Skoda has not yet released any information on the car's specifications but future buyers should expect the usual mix of diesel and gasoline engines found throughout the Volkswagen Group.
“This premiere kicks off ŠKODA's model offensive for the coming years," said Skoda Board Chairman, Winfried Vahland. “This new compact model, along with other new products to follow, will enable us to accomplish our goal of increasing global annual sales to 1.5 million vehicles by 2018. We are going to present a new car approximately every six months over the next few years.”

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Skoda Small Sedan Concept at Frankfurt Auto Show

A new concept model that previews an upcoming small sedan will be the star attraction for Skoda at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

The MissionL Concept will lead to a production vehicle that will be the sixth model in the Czech automaker's range after the Fabia, Octavia Classic, Octavia, Yeti and Superb

The new car is a C-segment model similar in size to the Focus sedan that bridges the gap that exists between the Fabia and the Octavia. Like the Octavia, it will sport a five-door, liftback body-style.

“Revealing the look of our new compact model, the MissionL shows exactly the direction our brand is going to take”, said Skoda Chairman Dr. Winfried Valhand. “The world premiere in Frankfurt gives a clear signal that Skoda is going full steam ahead now.”

The production version of the MissionL will be available in Europe, Russia and China, with different specifications for each market. Moreover, a special version will be sold in India.

Dr. Vahland also revealed that Skoda “will present a new model every six months over the next two or three years.” The company’s plan is to expand its operation, in a move it calls “model offensive”, and reach 1.5 million worldwide sales by 2018.

In 2013, the Yeti compact SUV will be launched in China, where it will also be produced. In addition, Skoda, in cooperation with Shanghai VW, will manufacture a new compact model for the local market, increasing the brand’s Chinese range to five models.

But Skoda’s expansion doesn’t stop here: in order to achieve its ambitious 2018 goal, it will increase production in Russia by manufacturing the Yeti locally with the help of VW Group's joint venture with GAZ.

Finally, the company is also increasing production capacity at its home factory in Mlada Boleslav, where it will add a third model line while, from late 2012, it will begin production of the twin-clutch DQ200 gearbox at its Vrchlabi plant.

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Skoda Electric Octavia E Line Test Fleet

Skoda announced that it has begun production of the Octavia E Line, the company’s first fully electric car that was first saw in concept form at last year’s Paris Motor Show.
Starting this fall, the Czech automaker will manufacture a test fleet of 10 cars that will be used for evaluation of the emissions-free technology. This will help the Skoda collect valuable data to be used in future applications that will reduce its average CO2 emissions.
“Emission-free mobility is one of our key goals for the future, and my opinion is that electric vehicles are the right answer o the increasingly stringent emission limits”, said Skoda’s board of directors member for Technological Development, Dr. Eckhard Scholz.
Based on the Octavia Combi, the E Line features a 26.5kWh lithium-ion battery pack placed under the floor and an electric motor with a constant output of 60kW (80HP) and a maximum power of 85kW (110HP). As with all electric motors, its torque (270 Nm or 199 lb-ft) is available immediately.
With this setup, the Octavia accelerates from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 12.0 seconds and reaches an electronically limited top speed of 135 km/h (84 mph), while its maximum range is about 140 km (87 miles).
The Octavia E Line also features a sound generator that simulates the noise of a regular internal combustion engine at speeds up to 40 km/h (25 mph) in order to warn pedestrians.

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Skoda’s Hot Fabia RS 2000 Concept

Not that the Skoda Fabia RS 2000 Conceptneeded any help to draw the attention of automotive fans at the Wörthersee show, but the Volkswagen Group was t enough to bring some very pretty faces (and bodies…) to the Czech firm’s stand. You can get a better look at the car and the girls in whichever order you prefer in our high resolution photo gallery right after the jump.

For those of you still with us, we’ll remind you that the Fabia RS 2000 Concept is an open-air version of the widened-up Fabia S2000 rally car sporting the same heavily modified 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine driving all four wheels.

If you managed to keep your eyes of the girls, you may have noticed some of the changes Skoda made to the exterior including the side windows, the bespoke cover behind the rear headrests and the black boot lid spoiler.

The concept’s interior was crafted after the normal Fabia RS (vRS in the UK) and features a set of bucket sports seats up front and more carbon fiber accents than a NASA parts cupboard.

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