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Another week, another brace of industry accolades for the all-new ŠKODA Superb. Continuing their rich run of award successes, the Superb Hatch and Estate have been named as the best in the business in the 2016 UK Car of the Year Awards (UKCOTY).

Milton Keynes, 1 March 2016 - The Superb Hatch triumphed in the Best Family Car category – widely regarded as one of the most competitive sectors of the new car market. Selected as a clear winner by UKCOTY’s 27-strong judging panel, the Superb Hatch was praised for its exceptional comfort and high quality.

Tim Pollard, UKCOTY juror said: “Can you think of a family car delivering more space, equipment – and gloss – per pound? I can’t…”

His views were echoed by other members of the jury, with Chris Russon commenting; “The Superb Hatch has incredible quality and all-round performance, at a price that makes others wince.” Fellow juror Al Suttie added further praise, saying; “ŠKODA offers more space, comfort and quality than anyone else at this price. The Superb is best family hatch there is.”

Further proving the Superb’s strength in depth, the Estate version also took honours – loading up with the Best Estate Car title. As with the hatch, the judging panel were bowled over by the Superb Estate’s quality, comfort and practicality.

Jury member Paul Hudson felt the new Superb was; “even better than its peerless predecessor for a combination of space, quality and low running costs.”

Tim Pollard agreed, adding; “It adds amazing volume to the Superb’s already excellent qualities. There is no finer load-lugger for the money,” while Matt Joy added; “Nothing you do could ever require a car more spacious than this.”

These latest UK Car of the Year titles add to the new Superb’s impressive haul of industry and press awards. Since its UK market launch in September 2015, ŠKODA’s flagship model has been a regular on the top step of the podium, taking home five key industry titles - including What Car? Estate Car of the Year and The Sunday Times Estate Car of the Year.

Available across the ŠKODA retailer network, prices for the ŠKODA Superb Hatch start at £18,640 while the Superb Estate is priced from £19,840.

Article source: www.skoda.co.uk

ŠKODA UK has created a canine-friendly version of its multi award-winning Superb to support police dog units across the UK.

Milton Keynes, 24 February 2016 - The upgraded Superb Estate, which complies with the rigorous new standards for police dog vehicles set out by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), has been designed to transport general purpose police dogs, as well as trained drugs-search and explosives-detection dogs.

Available in either two or four-wheel drive, each vehicle goes through a police vehicle conversion service, with bespoke interior features to keep the dogs safe, cool, and comfortable. Eight vehicles have already been snapped up by one customer, and a demo version hits the road this week for a year-long tour of forces across the country.

The tour kicks off in South Yorkshire with different police forces trialling the car over a period of weeks.

ŠKODA is inviting additional forces to get in touch and register for their free trial. Police forces wishing to register their interest in testing the Superb dog vehicle on loan can do so by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or calling 01908 548043.

Article source: www.skoda.co.uk

ŠKODA continues to grow: Over recent years, the brand has fundamentally expanded and renewed its model range. Now, ŠKODA’s SUV range is being strengthened. With the ŠKODA VisionS, the Czech car manufacturer gives an insight into how ŠKODA’s future SUV design language might look. The brand also presents its most important future technologies with the show car. The new ŠKODA Octavia vRS 4×4, the ŠKODA Octavia G-TEC with DSG transmission and the ScoutLine version of the Fabia Estate round off ŠKODA’s appearance at Lac Léman.

Mladá Boleslav/Geneva, 17 February 2016 – The ŠKODA VisionS incorporates the brand’s new design language, carrying it over into the SUV segment: the design is clearly influenced by Czech Cubism and the tradition of Bohemian crystal art. The lines are precise, sharp and clean-cut; the distinctive interplay of light and shadow on the contoured surfaces creates exciting effects, which are accentuated by the Island-Green color.

With a 2.79-meter wheelbase, at 4.70 meters long, 1.91 meters wide and 1.68 meters tall, the ŠKODA VisionS makes a bold statement on the road. Based on the Volkswagen Group’s Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB), this is ŠKODA’s first vehicle to feature six seats across three rows.

Another highlight of the concept vehicle is its plug-in hybrid powertrain: with 165 kW (225 hp), the show car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.4 seconds with a top speed of almost 200 km/h. 1.9 litres of petrol is all the car needs to travel 100 km (45 grams CO2 per kilometre). The ŠKODA VisionS can go up to 50 km on electric alone, and will travel up to 1000 km with both systems.

The internal combustion engine is a 1.4 TSI with 115 kW (156 hp) and 250 Nm of torque. This works alongside an e-motor that provides 40 kW of 40 kW continuous power and 220 Nm peak torque. It is integrated into the six-speed DSG, which directs the power to the front wheels. A second electric motor with up to 85 kW and 270 Nm of torque drives the rear axle. This works independently of the front axle drive, meaning the show car has a smart four-wheel drive, which requires no mechanical coupling. The three engines cooperate in a highly flexible manner: The driver of the ŠKODA VisionS can choose between several modes of operation – from purely electric drive to charge modes, always with the goal of maximum efficiency. The lithium-ion battery with a 12.4kWh capacity is positioned in front of the rear axle.

ŠKODA has responded to the rapidly growing scope of information and the passengers’ desire to communicate by introducing automotive digital networking (mobile services), providing large displays for optimum vehicle and infotainment services for all passengers, who can connect to the network several ways from each seat in the vehicle.

The ŠKODA Octavia vRS 4×4 will also be celebrating its debut at this year’s motor show: ŠKODA’s top-of-the-range Octavia is available as a saloon or estate with the 2.0 TDI engine with 135 kW (184 PS) and DSG transmission. With a drive unit, which is both sporty and safe, the Octavia vRS 4×4 makes a strong partner for families, work and leisure. The car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.6 seconds and reaches a top speed of 228 km/h. In NEDC, the model will manage 4.9 litre diesel per 100 km; CO2 equivalent of 129 grams per km (all values for sedan).

The ŠKODA Octavia G-TEC is particularly economical: It currently costs less than four euros in fuel to drive this model 100 km. On request, ŠKODA can fit the natural-gas car with DSG transmission. The 1.4 TSI provides 81 kW (110 hp) per km, emits less than 100 grams of CO2. The 1.4 TSI provides 81 kW (110 hp), emitting less than 100 grams of CO2 per km. The ŠKODA Octavia G-TEC is available in saloon and estate versions.

ŠKODA’s ScoutLine range also continues to grow. Alongside the Rapid Spaceback ScoutLine, there is now the ŠKODA Fabia Estate ScoutLine – with its unique off-road look and attractive, practical equipment features. Three petrol engines with 55 kW (75 hp), 66 kW (90 hp) and 81 kW (110 hp) and three diesel engines with 55 kW (75 hp), 66 kW (90 hp) and 77 kW (105 hp) are available.

Article source: www.skoda.co.uk

The Octavia vRS Estate showcases a host of engineering innovations, a dramatic new design and pulse-quickening performance.

With a styled, cavernous interior and sporty exterior — including sports suspension, rear spoiler, front and rear diffusers and twin stainless steel exhaust pipes — the Octavia vRS Estate delivers the perfect combination of space, practicality and power.

You can choose from a range of metallic and non-metallic colours, which are exclusive to the vRS — Race Blue and Rallye Green metallic.

There’s a number of modern safety systems available too, including Multicollision Brake, Crew Protection Assistant and Driver Activity Assistant.

Article source: www.skoda.co.uk

ŠKODA Motorsport team drivers Pontus Tidemand and Esapekka Lappi start at the only real winter rally in the World Championship.

ŠKODA Motorsport is celebrating a return to the Rally Sweden after an 11-year absence. The successful team, led by works drivers Pontus Tidemand (S) and Esapekka Lappi (FIN), will launch its assault on the title in the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC 2) on ice and snow from 12 to 14 February. Jonas Andersson (S) also makes his debut for ŠKODA at this iconic event in the far north. The experienced co-driver will be navigating for Asia-Pacific champion Pontus Tidemand for the first time, at their home rally.

“The whole team at ŠKODA Motorsport is really looking forward to our first rally of 2016,” said ŠKODA Motorsport Director Michal Hrabánek. “We have set ourselves ambitious targets for the new motorsport season and are hoping for a successful start,” he added. “We must gain race experience on ice and snow with our new ŠKODA Fabia R5. Don’t forget that this is the first time since 2005 that we are competing in Sweden.”

Back then, Jani Paasonen (FIN) and DTM champion Mattias Ekström (S) drove the ŠKODA Fabia WRC to ninth and tenth place respectively in the WRC category. The current ŠKODA works drivers are aiming for a podium finish in WRC 2. To achieve that goal, they will need nerves of steel. Despite the use of sharp studs on the tyres, the only real winter rally is a slippery affair, taking place on icy surfaces and roads lined with walls of snow.

However, it is questionable just how wintery and icy the roads in the west of Sweden and east of Norway will actually be: warm temperatures caused thawing last weekend, forcing the organisers to make a decision on Monday to reduce the rally from 21 to 13 special stages. Among the stages to be cancelled is the spectator stage in Karlstad, which was set to open the rally on Thursday evening. For this reason, the rally will start on Friday morning with the Torsby special stage. The highlight of the Rally Sweden is the Vargåsen stage, with the legendary Colin’s Crest jump.

“Rally Sweden is my home rally and is therefore a real highlight for me,” said Pontus Tidemand. “I’m looking forward to the first rally with my new co-driver Jonas Andersson and hope to benefit from his experience, so that we can give a good account of ourselves at our home event.” This is already the fifth time that the 25-year-old has lined up at his home rally in the World Championship. His best finish so far came last year, with fifth place in WRC 2. Tideland’s new co-driver Jonas Andersson has already celebrated two WRC podium finishes at his home event. “That is what we are aiming for this time too. We want to get on the podium in WRC 2,” said Andersson.

Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (FIN/FIN) start with similar ambitions. After finishing third overall in WRC 2 in 2015, the goal is to surpass that performance in the new season. Lappi gained valuable experience of driving on snow and ice in a privately entered ŠKODA Fabia R5 at the iconic Rally Monte Carlo in January of this year. “I hope that we can benefit from that. Our primary goal is to finish the rally and gain as many points as possible in the overall WRC 2 standings,” said Lappi. The ŠKODA works drivers will be up against strong opposition, including Elfyn Evans. The British driver heads the WRC 2 standings after his victory at the Rally Monte Carlo.

FIA World Rally Championship (WRC 2):

Rally Monte Carlo   21.01.–24.01.2016
Rally Sweden    12.02.–14.02.2016
Rally Mexico    03.03.–06.03.2016
Rally Argentina    21.04.–24.04.2016
Rally Portugal    19.05.–22.05.2016
Rally Italy    09.06.–12.06.2016
Rally Poland    01.07.–03.07.2016
Rally Finland    28.07.–31.07.2016
Rally Germany    18.08.–21.08.2016
Rally China    08.09.–11.09.2016
Rally Corsica    29.09.–02.10.2016
Rally Spain    13.10.–16.10.2016
Rally Great Britain   27.10.–30.10.2016
Rally Australia    17.11.–20.11.2016

Article source: www.skoda.co.uk

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